1935 National Chicle Nagurski Card Brings $350,000

The finest 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski card in existence has been sold for a record-setting price of $350,000 through a private transaction brokered by Memory Lane.

The PSA 9 graded card of the Pro Football Hall of Famer had been the centerpiece of a collector’s No. 1 all-time finest Hall of Fame rookie cards set listed on PSA’s Set Registry.It was purchased by another collector on the East Coast who has chosen to remain anonymous. It is the only PSA 9 1935 National Chicle Nagurski in existence.

The 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski is the most valuable football card and was ranked 17th on the list of the hobby’s most important sports cards compiled for publication in Collecting Sports Legends, a coffee table book chronicling the most important sports cards and memorabilia.

It is a difficult card to locate in any condition because it is part of the scarce high-number series in a set that is rare in and of itself.Pro football was barely a blip on the radar screen of most sports fans in the 1930s and not many were printed or sold.Nagurski represents the hard-nosed, leather helmet play of the era and his hard-charging image on the front of the card is instantly recognizable.

“This is a landmark sale and it was exciting to be a part of it,” said Memory Lane’s J.P. Cohen.“It shows that the high-end vintage card market is not just thriving for baseball cards but for all scarce, high-grade cards from other sports as well.The demand for 1-of-1 cards like this is greater than ever and some feel that a private transaction is the best way to acquire the tough cards they need.”