Phelps Celebrity Donruss Card Value Skyrockets

While Olympic superstar Michael Phelps continue to collect gold medals in Beijing, the value of his celebrity Donruss trading card is soaring in online bidding.

Donruss reports that the signed card, issued in 2004 as part of “Fans of the Game” series in packs of National Football League trading cards, is now hovering in the $500 range in online bidding. It escalated in value from $60 on Tuesday to $350 on Thursday.

Phelps was included in the Donruss series because of expectations about his eventual multi-gold medal performance in the 2004 Athens summer games, and because of his professed devotion as a Baltimore Ravens fan.

An unsigned version of the card has increased in value from $2.50 in the online trading market to around $20 during the first week of the summer games.

The phenomenon itself isn’t a new one, but the rate of inflation over such a short span of time could be a record-setter in terms of relative card values.

“It occurs a couple of times a year, mostly around a breakout performance in a Super Bowl or a World Series,” Donruss spokesman Scott Prusha said. “This Michael Phelps phenomenon is on a global level.”

Beckett Media, which tracks trading card values, speculates that the Phelps autographed card could eventually fetch $1,000, depending on how much Olympic gold he gathers.

The value of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s rookie card soared from $80 to $500 after he won his first Super Bowl. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s Donruss card saw a similar climb in value, from $1,000 to $3,000, after his team won its Super Bowl under his leadership, according to Prusha.

Similarly, the value of NewYork Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s card soared after his team’s Super Bowl upset of the Patriots earlier this year.

Donruss issued 300 of the Phelps cards in 2004, so the availability is finite, and the values are likely to keep climbing.

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