# The Most Expensive AFL Cards Ever Sold

> The most expensive AFL card sold for $50,000. See which rare AFL cards are worth money now, with median 2026 sale prices, and check yours free by photo.

The most expensive AFL card on record is the 2021 Select Supremacy "1000+ Goalkicker" quad-signature card of Tony Lockett, Jason Dunstall, Doug Wade and Gary Ablett Sr, numbered to 25: card #1 was sold back to Select for $50,000 in January 2022. Below that record, the AFL cards selling for the most money right now are low-numbered signature and patch cards of the biggest names, led by Nick Daicos, with this season's top cards selling for medians of about $400 to $1,500. Here's the record, what is selling now, the vintage cards that matter, and how to tell if yours is one of them.

## What is the most expensive AFL card ever sold?

The record belongs to the 2021 Select AFL Supremacy "1000+ Goalkicker Quad Signature": on-card autographs of Lockett, Dunstall, Wade and Ablett Sr, the only four living players at the time to have kicked 1,000 VFL/AFL goals. Select made 25 and spread them across 4,800 boxes. The collector who pulled card #1 sold it back to Select for $50,000 in January 2022, as [reported by Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/news/footy-card-mania-hits-australia-select-afl-card-fetches-record-price/efqutqur4sv6owst9ntrzjb7), with Select planning to auction it for charity.

It was a private sale to the card's own maker, not an auction, and no public result for the charity resale has been reported. It is still the highest price for an AFL card with a verifiable report behind it. It also shows what drives the top of this market: several legends on one card, real signatures, and a tiny print run.

## Which AFL cards are selling for the most right now?

These are the AFL cards that sold for the most in Australia between June 2026 and October 2026, from CardLoft's own sold data. Each line is a median across several sales, not one lucky result: a card only appears with three or more sales behind it, and listings that ended in an accepted offer are left out because the price shown on those is the ask, not what the buyer paid.

_Top-selling AFL cards by median sale price, June 2026 to October 2026 (AUD)_

| Card | Sales | Median | Range |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 Select Footy Stars Brownlow Predictor Signature Gold, Nick Daicos (BPSG16, /220) | 4 | $1,505 | $600 to $2,250 |
| 2026 Select Footy Stars Brownlow Predictor Patch Gold, Nick Daicos (BPPG16, /220) | 19 | $874 | $607 to $2,464 |
| 2026 Select Footy Stars Norm Smith Predictor Signature Gold, Fremantle (NPSG6, /220) | 3 | $450 | $425 to $543 |
| 2026 Select Footy Stars Coleman Predictor Signature Gold, Sydney Swans (/220) | 4 | $399 | $325 to $865 |

All four are 2026 Footy Stars predictor cards: signature and patch cards tied to the Brownlow, Norm Smith and Coleman medals, numbered to 220. Nick Daicos holds the top two spots, which matches what collectors chase across his whole run (see the [Nick Daicos rookie card guide](https://cardloft.app/guides/nick-daicos-rookie-card-value)). Prices at this level move with the season, so treat the medians as a guide to what these cards fetch, not a fixed price.

## Which vintage AFL cards are worth the most?

The oldest footy cards are rarer than anything Select prints, but far fewer of them sell in public, so the records are thinner. Collector forums reported an 1894 card of Essendon's Bill Crebbin closing at $10,110 in an eBay Australia auction in 2018, and the hobby press reported a 1963 Scanlens Graham "Polly" Farmer selling for $7,200 on eBay in 2014. Neither has a news or auction-house report behind it, so read them as the best figures available rather than settled records.

Scanlens is the name to know. It made VFL/AFL cards from 1963 to 1987, and its 16-card 1963 set is widely called the holy grail of footy cards. Vintage rookies of legends, such as the 1985 Scanlens Tony Lockett and the 1986 Scanlens Gary Ablett Sr, are the more affordable way into this end of the hobby. Our [AFL card value guide](https://cardloft.app/guides/afl-cards-value) covers the makers and eras in more detail.

Pictured: three pre-war VFL cards, Horrie Clover of Carlton on a 1923 Magpie Cigarettes card, Haydn Bunton Sr of Fitzroy on a 1934 cigarette card, and Bill Cubbin of Footscray on an Allen's confectionery card from the early 1930s. Cards like these, given away with cigarettes and lollies, came before Scanlens. Images are public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

## What makes a rare AFL card worth money?

Every card on this page has the same few things in common. If your card has two or more of them, it is worth checking properly.

- A small print run: a serial number like /25 or /60 stamped on the card. The lower the run, the higher the price.
- A real signature, especially on-card rather than on a sticker, and more so with more than one legend on the card.
- A star player: current greats like Nick Daicos and Harley Reid, or all-time names like Lockett, Ablett Sr and Dunstall.
- Rookie-year or award cards: Draft Pick Signatures, and predictor or redemption cards tied to the Brownlow, Coleman or Norm Smith.
- The premium sets: Select Supremacy and Optimum carry most of the top-end cards (see our [Select AFL Supremacy guide](https://cardloft.app/guides/select-afl-supremacy-cards)).
- Age and survival for vintage: pre-1990 Scanlens and older tobacco cards in good condition.

## How do I find out if my AFL card is worth money?

Start with the card itself: look for a serial number, a signature, a rookie or award logo, and the set name on the back. Then check what that exact card sells for, because a parallel or a serial number can change the price many times over. You can photograph any AFL card with CardLoft and get a valuation in seconds, free, without signing up. For a card that might be worth four figures, consider grading before you sell; our [guide to spotting fake slabs](https://cardloft.app/guides/spot-fake-graded-slabs) covers checking a graded card before you buy one.

## FAQ

### What is the most expensive AFL card ever sold?

The 2021 Select Supremacy "1000+ Goalkicker" quad-signature card of Lockett, Dunstall, Wade and Ablett Sr, numbered to 25. Card #1 was sold back to Select for $50,000 in January 2022.

### Which rare AFL cards are worth money?

Low-numbered signature and patch cards of star players, rookie-year Draft Pick Signatures, award predictor cards, multi-legend signature cards from Supremacy and Optimum, and pre-1990 Scanlens cards in good condition.

### What is the most valuable Nick Daicos card?

Among cards selling often enough to give a reliable figure, his 2026 Footy Stars Brownlow Predictor Signature Gold (/220) has the highest median sale price in CardLoft's sold data, at about $1,500 across four sales from June to October 2026.

### Are old footy cards worth anything?

Some are. Scanlens cards from the 1960s and 1970s, and pre-1900 tobacco cards, are genuinely scarce, and the best reported vintage sales run into the thousands. Most cards from the 1990s onward are worth a few dollars unless they are numbered, signed or of a star.

## Related guides

- [AFL Card Value Guide](https://cardloft.app/guides/afl-cards-value) — What every type of AFL card is worth, from 50c commons up.
- [Nick Daicos Rookie Card Value](https://cardloft.app/guides/nick-daicos-rookie-card-value) — Every Daicos rookie card priced, from $27 inserts to Optimum signatures.
- [Select AFL Supremacy Values](https://cardloft.app/guides/select-afl-supremacy-cards) — The premium set behind the $50,000 record card.

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Source: https://cardloft.app/guides/most-valuable-afl-cards
Author: The CardLoft Team
Published: 2026-10-23 · Updated: 2026-10-23