Here’s How Much Tom Brady’s Possibly Stolen Super Bowl Jersey Is Worth

Photo via AP

It’s the most sought-after piece of sports memorabilia in the world right now. But how much would Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey be worth at auction if anyone actually found the thing?

The Patriots quarterback suspects the jersey, worn as he led New England to the most historic comeback in Super Bowl history, was stolen.

“I put it in my bag, and then I came out and it wasn’t there anymore. It’s unfortunate, because that’s a nice piece of memorabilia,” he said Monday. “If it shows up on eBay somewhere, someone let me know. Try to track that down.”

Josh Evans is an expert appraiser at Lelands, the same auction house that sold Larry Bird’s rookie year Converse All-Stars and Boston University legend Jim Craig’s goaltending gear from the 1980 Miracle on Ice. He says that putting the jersey on eBay would be an especially poor decision for anyone trying to maintain a low profile.

“It would be on there for about seven seconds, and the feds would be at the guy’s door in a couple hours,” Evans laughs. “Who knows what beats in the hearts of men. I believe that this person had no clue what he was getting into.”

If there were ever a legitimate sale of the jersey, Evans said it would fetch around $1 million, the “standard rate for truly iconic and important pieces of sports memorabilia.” Lelands claims the record for the most expensive item of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction, selling Babe Ruth’s circa 1920 New York Yankees jersey for $4.4 million in 2012.

“It’s not the authenticity. That’s not the issue here, because the jersey has markings that can’t be replicated,” Evans says. “So the issue is title. There’s no doubt that the jersey is so ‘hot’ on all levels that it’s virtually impossible to sell it. That’s the conundrum.”

And in case you were wondering, Evans says the elusive Brady jersey probably doesn’t smell nearly as bad as you would think.

“The only time I saw an odor in game-worn jerseys was when I had them collectively. I had all the jerseys from the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore. They were all stacked up, and there was a lot of them, and it was awful. Really, really bad,” Evans says. “But the stuff was so great and so fresh from the game, it was kind of a good smell. You know what I mean?”