It’s hard to imagine Tom Brady doing anything halfway. From being the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft to becoming the most decorated quarterback in NFL history, his career has been defined by relentless discipline, competitive fire, and a knack for turning obsession into excellence. But in a recent reflection, it turns out that long before Brady was perfecting touchdown passes, he was perfecting something else — his trading card collection.
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Earlier this month, the GOAT’s life came full circle as he inaugurated the newest flagship location of CardVault by Tom Brady, a premium trading card and collectables store located inside New Jersey’s American Dream Mall.
The store’s launch, in what he jokingly called “enemy territory” — home of the Jets and Giants, two teams that have historically made his Sundays tougher than most — was more than just a business expansion. It marked a deeply personal milestone that brought him back to his roots.
“I’ve been into trading cards for as long as I can remember,” the New England Patriots legend wrote in the latest edition of his 199 newsletter.
“When I was a kid back in San Mateo, I would spend hours on the weekends at our local card shop, What’s On Second… flipping through cards, checking the value of my collection in the most recent edition of Beckett’s guide,” he added.
Brady reminisced about trading in the streets with other neighbourhood kids, even saving birthday money for booster packs, and obsessing over rookie cards like the iconic 1984 Don Mattingly Topps or the Bo Jackson dual-sport card. But his point wasn’t just nostalgia — it was that trading cards shaped him in ways few would expect.
According to the former Patriot, collecting cards didn’t just teach him to read an athlete’s box scores — it taught him how to understand people, negotiate fairly, value what matters, and connect events in time with emotion. These “memento cards,” as he calls them, still sit at the heart of his collection.
“Math, economics, business, friendship, relationships, time management, integrity, asset management, financial discipline, investment strategy, myself — all of these things I learned about through my love for trading cards,” Brady revealed.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that my collection, to this day, is built around and defined by those memento cards from my childhood — if not literally, then at least in spirit.”
With CardVault, the seven-time Super Bowl champ hopes to offer others that same connection, especially to the next generation, including his own kids. As such, the store is part memorabilia haven, part immersive experience, designed to celebrate the joy, community, and educational value of collecting.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner wrapped up this week’s newsletter with a quote from legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi: “From one thing, known ten thousand things.”
For Tom Brady, that one thing — trading cards — has quietly shaped how he approached greatness. Now, with this new venture, he’s passing that passion forward. Just like his spiral, it’s all come full circle — perfectly on target.
