Bill Ackman Gives Trading Card Investment Advice, But These Aren't Your Same Old Baseball Cards

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has been known to make some startling calls, including a recent one that the U.S. economy is headed for a “train wreck.” Although, the billionaire investor could have a new place for investors to turn.

What Happened: Ackman recently discussed his best and worst investments during an interview.

Now he's pointing investors to an area that could be ripe with new investment opportunities.

“Trading cards can be good investments. Max Verstappen trading card sells for almost £300,000 after auction bidding war,” Ackman tweeted.

The tweet shared a Daily Star article highlighting a recent auction for a one-of-one Max Verstappen card that sold for $336,000. The card in question is the 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padparadscha graded PSA 9, or mint condition.

The auction marked the second-highest price for a Verstappen card, trailing only the $534,000 paid for a 2020 Topps Chrome Superfractor Auto PSA 9 in August 2022.

In 2022, the record was set for a Formula 1 card when a one-of-one Topps Superfractor of seven-time league champion Lewis Hamilton sold for $900,000.

Along with tweeting about the Formula 1 cards, Ackman also tweeted about a new trading card launch centered on the sport of tennis.

“These Topps player trading cards are the first of many new revenue-generating opportunities to come for tennis players and offerings for fans. Tennis has enormous unrealized potential for all members of the tennis ecosystem. It is great to see the @ptpaplayers lead the way,” Ackman tweeted.

Ackman said the launch of the tennis cards is extremely important, not just to collectors and investors, but players of the sport.

"While tennis is an incredibly popular sport, the economics of the game for all but very few top 80-100 players are extremely poor. Most players lose money on the tour," he noted.

The Topps cards mentioned by Ackman are part of a partnership between the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and Fanatics. The deal marked the first group licensing agreement in the history of professional tennis.

Men’s and women’s tennis players will be able to opt into the licensing agreement and be featured in trading card sets.

Related Link: Fanatics Acquires Topps In $500M Deal

Why It’s Important: Investors and trading card enthusiasts have likely heard of top valued cards like the T-206 Honus Wagner, 1952 Mickey Mantle and various cards featuring Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, Babe Ruth and Pele.

Formula 1 and other smaller-watched sports in North America could see increased valuation as the sports rise and investors and collectors take note.

Formula 1, which is publicly traded as Liberty Formula One Group FWONA, has seen a surge in popularity in many parts of the world, including the U.S.

A new trading card index that tracks fractionalized assets from the likes of Collectable and Rally Rd includes a 2020 Topps Max Verstappen Signed Triple Patch Card and a 2020 Topps Lewis Hamilton Signed Triple Patch Card. Both assets are available on Rally.

Verstappen is ranked first in the Formula 1 standings and is on track to win his third straight Formula 1 World Championship, with current betting odds of -550 at DraftKings.

Tennis has had limited amounts of trading cards over the years, making some rookies of top players extremely valuable. Rookie cards of Serena Williams broke records and saw strong demand in 2022 as Williams announced her retirement.

Serna’s husband Alexis Ohanian has one of the largest collections of Serena’s cards.

The new Topps tennis card set could introduce the public to the rookie cards of many top upcoming tennis stars, which may end up becoming good investments.

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