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Josh Allen makes millions on the football field. Now one of his trading cards has too, before the card even physically exists.
A one-of-one Josh Allen Topps Gold NFL Shield autograph card tied to the Buffalo Bills quarterback’s MVP season sold through Fanatics Collect on Friday for $1.35 million, setting a new high mark for any Allen card by more than a million dollars and becoming the first seven-figure NFL card sale in nearly three years.
The sale blew past Allen’s previous known card record of $288,000, which was set in 2022 by a Panini National Treasures rookie patch autograph card.
The buyer did not purchase the finished card itself.
The auction was for a redemption tied to a future 2025 Topps Chrome Honors MVP Award Gold NFL Shield Patch Autograph one-of-one card that has not yet been produced.
Once completed, the card will feature: a game-used gold NFL Shield patch from Allen’s MVP season and Allen's on-card autograph.
The auction on Fanatics Collect closed after 41 bids.
According to The Athletic, Arizona grandmother Robbin Stowers waited outside a sports card shop in Mesa for an hour before opening so she could buy a box of 2025 Topps Chrome Football cards for her grandsons.
Her grandsons — ages 15, 12 and 10 — later opened the box and discovered the Allen redemption card inside.
The family eventually consigned the card to Fanatics Collect for auction.
Stowers told The Athletic the proceeds from the sale are expected to be split among the three boys.
Topps returned to NFL trading cards in 2026 for the first time in roughly a decade after Fanatics secured new licensing agreements with the NFL and NFLPA.
The card is tied directly to Allen winning the 2024 AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, the first MVP honor by a Bills player since Thurman Thomas in 1991.
As part of a special NFL Honors program launched by Topps, Allen wore a gold NFL Shield on his jersey during the 2025 season to recognize the MVP award.
Only five NFL players were included in the Gold Shield program: MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Each player had four total Gold Shield cards created. Three featured game-used patches and one game-used patch autograph card.
Allen’s autograph version was the card sold for $1.35 million.
The combination of Allen's MVP season, game-used memorabilia, autograph and one-of-one scarcity made it one of the premier modern football cards on the market.
Allen became one of five NFL players known to have a trading card sell for more than $1 million. The others are Tom Brady (21 separate cards surpassing $1 million), Patrick Mahomes (two cards), Justin Herbert (two cards) and Joe Burrow (one card).
According to reports, it is the first NFL trading card to top seven figures since a Brady autographed rookie card sold for $1.2 million in 2023.
The sale is the most expensive Buffalo Bills-related sports card ever sold.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Josh Allen MVP trading card sells for record $1.35 million
Continue reading...
A one-of-one Josh Allen Topps Gold NFL Shield autograph card tied to the Buffalo Bills quarterback’s MVP season sold through Fanatics Collect on Friday for $1.35 million, setting a new high mark for any Allen card by more than a million dollars and becoming the first seven-figure NFL card sale in nearly three years.
The sale blew past Allen’s previous known card record of $288,000, which was set in 2022 by a Panini National Treasures rookie patch autograph card.
The buyer did not purchase the finished card itself.
The auction was for a redemption tied to a future 2025 Topps Chrome Honors MVP Award Gold NFL Shield Patch Autograph one-of-one card that has not yet been produced.
Once completed, the card will feature: a game-used gold NFL Shield patch from Allen’s MVP season and Allen's on-card autograph.
The auction on Fanatics Collect closed after 41 bids.
The card was found by kids after their grandmother waited in line
According to The Athletic, Arizona grandmother Robbin Stowers waited outside a sports card shop in Mesa for an hour before opening so she could buy a box of 2025 Topps Chrome Football cards for her grandsons.
Her grandsons — ages 15, 12 and 10 — later opened the box and discovered the Allen redemption card inside.
The family eventually consigned the card to Fanatics Collect for auction.
Stowers told The Athletic the proceeds from the sale are expected to be split among the three boys.
Topps returned to NFL trading cards in 2026 for the first time in roughly a decade after Fanatics secured new licensing agreements with the NFL and NFLPA.
Why the Josh Allen card became so valuable
The card is tied directly to Allen winning the 2024 AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, the first MVP honor by a Bills player since Thurman Thomas in 1991.
As part of a special NFL Honors program launched by Topps, Allen wore a gold NFL Shield on his jersey during the 2025 season to recognize the MVP award.
Only five NFL players were included in the Gold Shield program: MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Each player had four total Gold Shield cards created. Three featured game-used patches and one game-used patch autograph card.
Allen’s autograph version was the card sold for $1.35 million.
The combination of Allen's MVP season, game-used memorabilia, autograph and one-of-one scarcity made it one of the premier modern football cards on the market.
Josh Allen joins exclusive NFL trading card value list
Allen became one of five NFL players known to have a trading card sell for more than $1 million. The others are Tom Brady (21 separate cards surpassing $1 million), Patrick Mahomes (two cards), Justin Herbert (two cards) and Joe Burrow (one card).
According to reports, it is the first NFL trading card to top seven figures since a Brady autographed rookie card sold for $1.2 million in 2023.
The sale is the most expensive Buffalo Bills-related sports card ever sold.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Josh Allen MVP trading card sells for record $1.35 million
Continue reading...
