One of the most significant trading card chases of 2025 is headed to auction after landing in the mailbox of a man with Chicago roots last month.
Pulled by Brian Sleeth at his Florida home in May, the 2025 Topps NOW Pope Leo XIV Superfractor 1/1 will sell as part of Fanatics Collect’s June Premier Auction later this month.
As of Thursday, the card had reached $6,250 on 27 bids.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Sleeth grew up on Chicago’s South Side and once attended St. Rita of Cascia Parish, where Pope Leo XIV was at one time a substitute teacher.
The first American pontiff, Pope Leo XIV has captured the interest of casual sports fans and collectors as a Chicago native with a rooting interest in the White Sox.
Topps celebrated Pope Leo XIV in May with the release of a Topps NOW card. That card, which was available during a limited release window as part of Topps’ print-to-demand NOW program, sold 133,535 copies to set a record for any non-sports card from the program.
The cards originally retailed for $8.99 each before any bulk discounts were applied.
The Sun-Times reports Sleeth purchased 80 copies of the card with the intention to hand them out to friends, family and members of his church.
A full-time sports card and comic book dealer, Sleeth also provides full-time support for his parents, and hopes the auction of the card will help provide for his family.
“We don’t know the value of the card. ... It’s a one-of-a-kind rarity,” Sleeth told the Sun-Times. “What I hope is that this card will actually go for enough money where I can help my family, taking care of my father and mother in the way that we always wanted it to be.”
According to data tool Card Ladder’s records, the current record price at public auction for any card of Pope Leo XIV is the $3,300 paid for a Red Refractor /5 earlier this month.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.