A 2004-05 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi rookie card -- assessed a perfect 10 by card grader Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) -- has sold for $1.5 million through Fanatics Collect's fledgling private sales network.
It's the most ever paid for a soccer card, surpassing the $1.33 million paid for a 1958 Alfiabolaget Pele card in a private sale in 2022. The sale comes days after Goldin Auctions brokered a private sale of $1.1 million for another copy of the card, also graded a 10 by PSA.
Fanatics Collect's private sales network matches high-end buyers with cards not publicly acknowledged for sale; the network is reserved for deals of $10,000 and up. August, the network's first full month in operation, generated $8 million across "30-40 transactions," according to a source from Fanatics.
According to their population report, PSA has graded 838 copies of the #71 Messi card from that set, including 20 Gem-Mint 10s.
The $1.5 million Messi includes a Mike Baker Authenticated (MBA) Diamond Certification, a certification service for PSA, Beckett Grading Services (BGS) and Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC) viewed in collecting as a signifier of uber-elite condition.
