Notes: Lewis Hamilton SuperFractor Pulled; WaPo on SoCal Card Trader; All-Star 1st Pitch Ball Auction
The 2020 Topps Chrome SuperFractor Autograph of F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has been pulled by a 15-year-old in Quebec, who should have little trouble paying for college.
The teenager went into TW Collectibles in Saguenay on Sunday for a computer mat, but after conversing with the shop owner, decided to grab a few packs of F1 cards, too.
“I was showing them the cards I have at home and the teenager was particularly interested in the value,” store manager Raphaël Violette told one local news outlet. “I told him about a client who got a card that was worth $3,000 or $4,000 from an F1 card pack. So he asked me for a pack of F1 cards.”
Inside one of the handful of packs the boy purchased was one of the most sought after cards in the hobby. Auction house reps told us Wednesday it’s likely worth at least $75,000 but possibly a lot more depending on the grade it might get and other factors.
Image from TW Sportscards Facebook page.
“I’m a card lover and never had the chance to hold a card like this in my hands. It happens once in a lifetime,” Violette said.
Topps Chrome F1 offered 18 packs in a box and four cards per pack but the youngster who pulled the Hamilton card didn’t buy the entire box.
Based in the borough of Chicoutimi, the store is owned by Gabriel Normand and just opened last November as a second location. The original shop is in Repentingy, Quebec City.
“TW SportsCards was founded six years ago and it is easily the biggest card that has been obtained in the two stores, even in Quebec,” he said.
The 36-year-old Hamilton is the biggest star in the sport, with a record-tying F1 titles including 2020. He owns 98 career wins.
The card was put into a bank vault as the lucky owner decides on his next move but you can probably look for it to hit the market at some point.
In an email to SC Daily, the company’s owner and founder, Tek Chher stated, “We at the TW Sportscards stores are super happy that one of our clients was able to get his hands on the most sought after cards in the world. It was a magical moment for everyone and brought joy to us not only as owners but also as collectors.”
You can see other SuperFractors on eBay here.
A fun story from Fox 10 in Phoenix as reporter Matt Galka visits AZ Sports Cards for a piece that aired on the station’s Tuesday night newscast:
He used to clean hotel pools. Now he spends his days driving around Southern California and operating online making sports card deals. The Washington Post has a story on 22-year-old Sasha Tamaddon, who isn’t afraid of some risk.
It’s a story that might well serve as a microcosm of the entire modern trading card market over the last year and a half.
MLB Auctions is offering the first pitch ball from Tuesday night’s All-Star Game. The ball thrown by National League starter Max Scherzer to A.L. leadoff man Shohei Ohtani was fouled off.
It has the MLB Authentication sticker and bidding has been robust so far at over $9,000 less than 24 hours into the auction. Ohtani was the first player to start as both a pitcher and offensive player in All-Star history.
One of the balls hit by Ohtani in Monday night’s Home Run Derby is also up for grabs along with other items from the All-Star Game and related events and autographed jerseys. Proceeds go to MLB Charities.
