After some magnificent F1 performances over the last few months, Max Verstappen has managed to grab attention for his trading card feat. The Dutch driver pulled off an insane $336,000 for his 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padparadscha trading card recently.
This comes after Verstappen managed to retain his driver’s championship last year and opened the 2023 F1 season with a bang. Currently, the most sought-after personality in Formula 1, the Dutch pilot’s stock, has never been this higher.
Yes!!! Exactly the start we hoped for 💪 A very lovely result finishing one-two 👏
A big thank you goes out to the entire team, this is down to all their hard work over the winter!
Let’s keep pushing @SChecoPerez @redbullracing @HondaRacingGLB#BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/AAiImT001n
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) March 5, 2023
Admittedly, F1 has been far more popular than it was a few years back. Thanks to the ever-popular docu-series Drive to Survive by Netflix, the sports’ popularity has sky-rocketed.
Verstappen’s recent auction record at PWCC Marketplace’s Premier Auction is a bright example of that. Furthermore, the value went up sky-high to $100,000 when the bidding war for the card broke out. Interestingly, this comes right at the time when the 25-year-old is facing a conflict with Nike.
Details of the trading card auction
The Dutch driver’s Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padparadscha trading card from the year 2020 was released as a special set. It was released as a special Sapphire Edition.
This was similar to Topps’ inaugural Chrome F1 set and the odds of finding this were very less. As far as it was concerned, the odds were one per 605 packs.
Max Verstappen’s 2020 Topps Chrome F1 Sapphire Padparadscha 1/1 PSA 9 has sold for a massive $336,000 USD via auction with @pwccmarketplace!!! 🏎️ pic.twitter.com/04D56Xopw9
— PRIMO CARDS (@primocards1) March 26, 2023
This card, that’s detailed here, is one of the rarest ones out in the market. It features a Padparadscha holofoil and is graded a Mint 9 by Professional Sports Authenticator. With this, it has become one of the highest, notably the second-highest-selling trading card of all time.
Who tops the trading list?
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton tops the trading list. The Briton not only tops the list with seven world titles in F1, but he managed to keep his supremacy here as well.
Hamilton sold his Superfractor Topps trading card for a whopping $900,000. The Silver Arrows ace’s one is the most achieved by any F1 driver and it was by renowned auctioneers Goldin.
As for Verstappen, it is understood that the maximum he went with his sale was $534,000. It was the 2020 Topps Chrome Superfractor Auto, which was also a mint 9 that he sold last year.
