Tom Brady Now Owns 50% Of CardVault

In the pantheon of sports legends, Tom Brady has always been more than just a quarterback. He’s a brand, a movement, a force of nature that transforms everything he touches.

But will that translate to the sports card world? We are about to find out. Brady’s 50% ownership of CardVault is a statement of intent.

Heck, he even named the company after himself. Can Brady change this game, too? We have the story in our coverage of Brady’s CardVault purchase.

How Tom Brady acquired CardVault

The former quarterback and current broadcaster bought a 50% stake in the Boston-based sports card and memorabilia chain known as CardVault. It has locations in TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, and Foxwoods Resort Casino. A further location will open near the MetLife Stadium will open soon.

Tom Brady never did anything halfway—not in football, business, or the world of sports collectibles. Okay, maybe he has because he bought half of the company. But still. You know what I mean. Therefore, the company now aims to “go global, with new stores planned across the U.S. and in major international markets.”

The date of the announcement was strategic—2/12, a nod to his legendary jersey number. It was a symbolic christening for a partnership that would reshape the collecting world. Meanwhile, the big launch for the company will be at—you guessed it—The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, which will be held from July 30 to August 3, 2025.

Brady will be front and center, engaging with customers, signing cards, and bringing his legendary intensity to a new arena.

What Is CardVault?

The company was originally established by four key founders: Ed Kane, Randy Greenstein, Chris Costa, and Tim Bonito.

They offer a variety of services currently. Here is an overview:

Based on the search results, CardVault offers a comprehensive suite of services for sports card collectors:

1. Trading Platform Since 2020, CardVault has helped collectors trade, buy, and sell sports cards. Their services include:
   • Buying and selling sports cards
   • Grading cards
   • Authentication services
2. Physical and Digital Experiences
   • They have physical store locations in iconic sports venues like Gillette Stadium
   • They’re expanding their digital reach by creating exclusive content and hosting live-streamed box breaks
3. Specialized Services
   • Cutting-edge authentication services
   • Exclusive VIP trading experiences
   • Expertly curated selection of sports cards
   • Secure storage and insurance for collectibles

In other words, in their current structure, they are a jack of all trades and a master of none. It will be interesting to see if Brady changes that.

Brady’s Role In The Sports Card Hobby

Tom Brady is an icon in football and the hobby. There is no doubt about that. Not only is he inarguably the finest football player of all time, but his cards are among the most valuable and sought-after.

His 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket #144 Tom Brady Rookie Autograph /100 is the second most expensive football card ever sold at $3,107,372.

But he has also collected cards throughout his life. He remembered collecting as a child and commended his mother for safeguarding his collection.

Therefore, he explained about CardVault, “Sports collectibles and cards have been part of my DNA since childhood, and CardVault has set the gold standard for what a modern fan wants.”

We also fondly remember when Bowman printed Tom Brady cards in December 2023, an event that Brady handled with a good deal of humor. After seeing the value of baseball contracts go up, he posted that he’d been trying to get the Expos on the phone for a month. Then he followed up with a picture of a custom-made Brady baseball card beneath it.

When the Bowman card came out, he made a cheeky nod to his pre-football dreams; the card featured an inscription that captured Brady’s playful approach:

“If baseball doesn’t work out, there’s always football.” Now, with CardVault, he has updated that narrative: “If broadcasting doesn’t work out, there’s always CardVault.”

His card-collecting journey had been methodical and passionate. In August 2023, he was spotted buying cards at Fanatics Fest, mingling with collectors, and immersing himself in the community. It wasn’t a publicity stunt—it was a genuine passion.

What is Brady’s vision for Card Vault?

Brady said about his new venture, “Sports collectibles and cards have been part of my DNA since childhood, and CardVault has set the gold standard for what a modern fan experience should be,” Brady said in a news release. “This isn’t just about buying and selling cards; it’s about curating history, building community, turning fans into collectors, and giving them access to their great moments in sports.”

Chris Costa says that they have a mission to expand the hobby. “We’re not trying to compete with local hobby shops,” he explained. We’re an entry point, a catalyst, a way to get collecting in front of as many eyes as possible.” Continuing the theme of expanding the hobby, Costa says, “The industry has never been given the gasoline it needed to propel itself into the mainstream. “We’re going to be a big accelerant.”

As for Brady’s involvement, Costa said, Brady is “100 percent invested and excited about sports cards,” Costa said. This might be the business Brady would be most heavily involved in—a statement that spoke volumes.

The reactions to Tom Brady buying CardVault

Not everyone was delighted with this development. One Reddit user wrote,  “Supplements, crypto, sports memorabilia, the Raiders. This guy never met a sketchy investment he didn’t love.”

Meanwhile, CardVault stores are not particularly popular with hardcore sports card fans. They have a certain highly commercial and inauthentic feel. They are geared toward the new crop of sports cards as an investment rather than as a collector items approach.

That makes sense in terms of making money. However, it isn’t enjoyable to some. Another Reddit user said, “I’ve been to one of those stores before, but I’m not a fan. Those stores are about money, not the hobby, and you can tell within 3 seconds of walking in.” I have been to the one at TD Center and have to agree.

Meanwhile, not everyone agrees that Brady loves the hobby. One commenter said, “I didn’t know bro collected cards.” To which came the pithy reply, “He doesn’t. He collects money.”

The final word on Tom Brady’s purchase of CardVault

Let’s be brutally honest: Tom Brady isn’t entering the sports card world to save collecting—he’s here to monetize it.

This isn’t passion. This is business. CardVault is another brand extension from a guy who’s turned everything from supplements to crypto into a revenue stream. It isn’t a love letter to sports collecting—it’s a calculated investment designed to squeeze every possible dollar from nostalgic fans.

Brady’s lofty talk about “curating history” rings hollow. We’ve heard this pitch before. Celebrity involvement typically means one thing in collectibles: higher prices and less authenticity. CardVault isn’t preserving the hobby—it’s commodifying it.

Those TD Garden and Gillette Stadium locations? They’re not shrines to sports collecting. They’re glorified retail spaces designed to separate fans from their cash. The “VIP experiences” are just marketing speak for premium-priced transactions. Maybe Brady will change that. However, we aren’t holding our breath.