Lionel Messi scores first million-dollar card in private sale

The 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Messi rookie has soared in value this summer

Cover Image for Lionel Messi scores first million-dollar card in private sale
Only 19 PSA 10 copies exist for the the 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi rookie card. (Credit: Getty Images/Fanatics Collect)

The dramatic rise of the 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi rookie card resulted in a new record Thursday as Fanatics Collect announced a private sale of more than $1 million on social media.

This comes less than a month following the announcement of a $825,000 private sale of the card via Goldin for the same PSA 10 copy.

Prior to this month, the record for the card was $322,080, set in January 2024.

PSA has graded 885 copies of the card, handing out just 19 PSA 10s.

According to Market Movers, there has been $5.4 million in sales volume for Messi cards in the past year. The past 30 days has seen an increase of 82.7% in sales volume, not counting either record-setting private sales.

Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.