Record-breaking Pope Leo XIV Card Certified by CGC Realizes Five Figures at Auction

An extremely rare CGC-certified SuperFractor connected to the Catholic Church's election of the first American pope in history recently made headlines when it broke the record for the highest price ever paid for a trading card of Pope Leo XIV. The 2025 Topps Now #POPE-1 Pope Leo XIV - SuperFractor graded CGC 9 (lot 276) realized $16,500 on June 26, 2025, in the Fanatics Fest June Premier Auction.

2025 Topps Now #POPE-1 Pope Leo XIV - SuperFractor graded CGC 9 Click images to enlarge.

Topps NOW cards are limited real-time releases based on some of the most significant in-season moments in sports. Although the majority of Topps NOW releases are sports cards, some non-sports cards have been issued as well, including cards tied to the presidential election or, in this case, the election of a new pope.

Upon Pope Leo XIV's election, his card broke the previous record for the highest-selling non-sports Topps NOW card of all time, with 133,535 copies sold of the base card. Among several numbered parallels that were randomly inserted into orders, one lucky collector received the one-of-one SuperFractor parallel and entrusted it to CGC's expert grading and authentication services.

The previous benchmark for a Pope Leo XIV card was set by a red parallel that is serial numbered to only 5 cards made, which sold at auction for $3,300. The Fanatics Collect auction for the 1-of-1 SuperFractor attracted numerous bidders throughout the two-week sale, as it garnered 56 total bids and took the title for the most expensive Pope Leo XIV card ever sold.

Although this is considered a non-sports card, there is now an intriguing link between the papacy and American sports. Cardinal Robert Prevost, as he was known before choosing the papal name of Leo XIV, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox. His love of baseball and his hometown team have made the news more than once since he was thrust into the limelight as the newest pope.

In a now-famous image that was widely shared after his election, Leo XIV is seen with family members attending the 2005 World Series and supporting the White Sox during their historic championship run. In addition to the old photo, he was also recently photographed during a public appearance at the Vatican wearing a White Sox hat, which the team shared on social media on June 11.