Bidding for Rare Andrew Luck Autographed Card Reaches $32K — with Five Days Left

Wisconsin collector Derek Reiter was running an errand Saturday afternoon when he made a quick pitstop at Green Bay's Packer Cit Antiques to scratch a pack-busting itch. He picked up, among other things, four packs of 2012 Contenders Football and hit the road without opening them in order to make his previously scheduled haircut appointment.

Panini America Derek Reiter

UPDATE: Earlier this week, we brought you the story of Derek and Keeley Reiter discovering a rare autographed trading card of Andrew Luck in Panini America’s 2012 Contenders Football product. In the three days since the original story, eBay bidding on that card has soared from $12,000 to more than $32,000 — with still more than five days remaining.

Said Reiter: “I can’t believe how high this auction is going. It’s crazy! I put the card in a safety deposit box for the time being. I didn’t want it in the house anymore. It’s a little nerve racking! This could really help my family.”

The original story appears below:

Wisconsin collector Derek Reiter was running an errand Saturday afternoon when he made a quick pitstop at Green Bay’s Packer City Antiques to scratch a pack-busting itch. He picked up, among other things, four packs of 2012 Contenders Football and hit the road without opening them in order to make his previously scheduled haircut appointment.

The only problem? Reiter had left his checkbook back at the house where wife Keeley was watching the couple’s children. No checkbook meant no haircut, so Reiter returned home to retrieve it — and to let Keeley in on his impromptu product purchase.

“I was busted by my wife,” Reiter said. “I told her we could open the packs together when I got home. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the packs until I got back. My wife decided that she was going to open them all, so we sat down on the couch together while the kids were playing in the other room.”

Derek was fine with Keeley opening the packs — as she had done many times before — so long as she didn’t tip her hand as to the contents of those packs. Poker face intact, she opened the first pack. Then the second. Then the third. But on the fourth and final pack, Reiter’s rather ho-hum Saturday afternoon went from hair-razing to hair-raising.

“Like a storybook, she opened it up and the only thing she said, with a smile, was, ‘I like this pack . . . I really like this pack,'” Reiter recalled. “I had no idea what she pulled but I figured it was a rookie autograph. She handed the stack to me to look through and when I saw it, my stomach dropped.”

Near the bottom of that stack, staring right back at Reiter, was none other than the autographed Andrew Luck Championship Ticket, a true one-of-a-kind card and one of the two or three most sought after and expensive cards in the entire 2012 Contenders Product. Not bad for a $28, four-pack investment.

Reiter initially was beside-himself giddy because he thought he’d pulled the base Luck Rookie Ticket autograph. But the card’s rainbow foil indicated this was something quite different. So Reiter flipped the card over. Then he just flipped.

“Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me! This is a one-of-one!” Reiter recalls screaming. “This is crazy!”

Crazier still is what the card has been bid up to on eBay in less than two days on the market. Try $12,100 on the strength of 47 bids — with still more than eight days remaining.

Reiter, a lifelong collector, wrestled ever so briefly with whether to sell the card or keep it, but ultimately opted to part with it.

“I haven’t had much luck (no pun intended) pulling anything good in the past and this blew my mind,” Reiter said. “I had read about this kind of once-in-a-lifetime pull many times but never imagined anything like this happening to me. I’m not sure what the card is valued at. I just know it’s worth a lot more to a true Colts fan. I really wanted to keep it but I thought to myself, ‘this is bigger than me.’ Someone will enjoy it way more than me.”

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for updates to this story.

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28 Replies to “Bidding for Rare Andrew Luck Autographed Card Reaches $32K — with Five Days Left”

  1. Pingback: Anonymous
  2. Amazing! When that is done selling that should pay for a few more haircuts in the future 🙂 And of course an extra stop along the way everytime.

  3. What a card, but that card clearly states that its a 1/1. SO HOW ABOUT WE(MEANING PANINI) RELEASES THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT PRINT LIST. We(meaning the collector) spend entirely to much money on a product to have to wait weeks to actually know what we have. What do you think!! Last I checked we(meaning collectors) are in the business of keeping you(meaning panini) in business. Thanks Panini

    1. Championship Tickets have been 1/1 cards since 2003. The only year was last year when they were replaced with Front Row Tickets, which were still 1/1.

  4. Wow! Awesome pull. When I let my girlfriend open a few packs, all I got was a lecture about wasting money (which I promptly ignored).

  5. I need a 4 pack buy like that. I’d put that in a Magnetic too, I think its worth a solid case. One touch’s are two dollars, Id def throw it in one. 12,000 dollars is nuts, I bet it goes for 10 when its all said and done. Rg3 will pull more then Luck? Whats your guys opinion?

  6. Incredible pull, let’s hope that number keeps rising and ends with a legit bidder so those kids can have their schooling paid for! Thanks Tracy and congrats to Derek & Keeley!

  7. Awesome!

    The best part is you can now bring home as many packs as you want without your wife giving you that look so many of us know all to well when we return from our LCS.

  8. Omg I been watching this card since I read this. And it’s at 26k now. Congrats to this couple. Really, but now its just a contest to people who seen this blog and want to win the card. I just can believe that’s its up this high. At that price it shouldn’t go in the mail it should be dropped off in person. To much to risk for that card. He’s about to make what most people make in a year. But again congrats to you both. Enjoy it. Buy more cards

  9. The legitimate bidders stopped bidding well before 30k, now it is just a circus for kids and immature losers with nothing else to do. When no one pays it should be listed as BIN/BO and then make a deal off ebay to avoid fees.

  10. This card won’t get paid for. Rarely do you see a championship ticket outsell a superfractor. Worst part? Seller will think it’s still high value and will put a high BIN when re- listed.

  11. I like this… “I really wanted to keep it but I thought to myself, ‘this is bigger than me.’ Someone will enjoy it way more than me”… All you thought about was the $$$ it would bring in. Nevermind the fact you are about to pay $5K in ebay fees! LOL

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