2000 Upper Deck Tom Brady #254

How I Arrived at the Hobby Score

This card received a 84 for its overall hobby score. The 2000 Upper Deck Football set marked the company's final year before losing its NFL license, making it a key transitional product in hobby history. Known for its high-quality photography and premium paper stock, the set includes rookies of both Tom Brady and Brian Urlacher, but lacks the chrome or refractor variants common in other brands that year. With a PSA 10 population under 400 and a cleaner aesthetic compared to flashier sets like Bowman Chrome or SPx, this card stands out for its simplicity and scarcity.

What makes this card especially memorable is that Upper Deck almost left Brady out entirely. At the time of printing, Brady was a sixth-round pick and third on the Patriots' depth chart—far from a guaranteed inclusion. Only late revisions and roster shuffling kept him in the checklist. That decision now reads like a twist of fate: a single production choice resulting in one of the more understated yet historically meaningful Brady rookies. Today, it’s a reminder that even the GOAT was once nearly overlooked.