A recent surge in the price of collectable sports cards worldwide has culminated in the record sale of a piece of Australian football history.
Since the start of the pandemic, along with the cost of just about everything else, the interest in sports cards has skyrocketed.
Particularly in the US, eye-watering sums are being dropped on the cardboard collectibles, turning the process from a hobby to an investment for many.
The companies that produce these cards are now worth hundreds of millions.
As for the individual cards, seven-figure sums are being put up for cards featuring the likes of Michael Jordan, Floyd Mayweather and Wayne Gretzky.
But it's not just the retro cards collectors are after - cards bearing modern-day stars like Luka Doncic, Patrick Mahomes and Mike Trout have fetched more than US$1 million in the past 12 months.
While the figures aren't quite as high in Australia, history was made last month when an item produced by Select Footy Cards was sold for $50,000.
As part of a limited release, 25 "1000+ Goalkicker Quad Signature cards" were produced, signed by Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall, Doug Wade and Gary Ablett - the only living players to have kicked over 1,000 VFL/AFL goals.
The 25 cards were randomly distributed among 4,800 boxes as part of the AFL Supremacy Cards release.
Richmond fan and footy card buff Kelly Taylor was stunned when she unboxed the signed 1000+ goalkicker card, number 1 of 25.
"I couldn’t believe it when I saw the card, I was doing an Instagram live with some other collectors, and I was in shock, then I realised I had the number one card and thought I was seeing things," Taylor said.
"This was every collectors’ dream to get that card."
Taylor sold the card back to Select, with the company intending to auction it off for charity.
"This was life changing for my family. Who would have thought that my hobby would have changed our lives," Taylor added.
The 1000-goal club very nearly has another member - superstar Swans forward Lance Franklin sits tantalisingly close on 995 goals.
Add Buddy's signature to those of the other four goal-kicking greats and who knows what price the card might have sold for.
The chances of anyone else reaching the historic milestone appear to be dwindling by the season, making the limited release collectible all the more valuable.
