GameStop Offers $25,000 Bounty for Rare Lionel Messi Card: Video Game Retailer Bolsters Trading Card Strategy - GameStop (NYSE:GME)

Video game and meme stock retailer GameStop Company GME is new to the trading card business and could make a splash with a premium offered for one of the rarest football cards in 2024.

What happened: Argentine football star Lionel Messi made a splash when he joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, a move that helped sports betting, MLS ticket sales and Apple-owned streaming platform AppleTV+.

GameStop could soon be added to the list of companies helped by Messi’s popularity.

The global football superstar is currently taking part in the Copa America Tournament with the best international teams from North and South America. Argentina is one of the four remaining teams in the tournament and the betting favorite.

Trading card company Panini has launched Copa America 2024 sticker boxes containing collectible stickers of hundreds of players participating in the tournament.

This year’s Copa America stickers include several color parallels, including a unique black sticker.

GameStop is offering a $25,000 bounty to the lucky fan or collector who will pull the unique black Lionel Messi parallel, should they choose to sell it to the retailer.

The sticker must be a PSA 6 or higher when graded to meet the premium requirements and the premium ends at the end of 2024.

One interesting point about the premium is the potential value. According to a report from collectibles site cllct, a unique black-bordered Messi sticker from the 2022 World Cup sold for $120,000 last year. This could suggest that the $25,000 premium offered by GameStop is less than what the sticker could fetch at auction.

Also read: A towel sold for 1 million dollars, here is how Lionel Messi was involved

Why it matters: For GameStop, the premium could be the perfect way to advertise that the retailer offers graded sports cards for sale. The retailer also buys graded sports cards.

GameStop is also buying and selling graded Pokémon trading cards as it seeks to diversify from offering only physical video games and gaming accessories.

Bounties are growing in popularity in the trading card industry as top collectors and stores try to get their hands on the rarest new cards.

Benzinga previously reported that there was a $500,000 bounty on a Tom Brady Baseball card from the 2023 Bowman Draft set. The card is numbered 12/50 and features the legend “If baseball doesn’t work out, there’s always football” handwritten by Brady on the card.

The card pays tribute to the NFL great who was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1995 MLB Draft but chose to pursue a professional football career instead.

A bounty of $200,000 was offered for a single copy. Babe Ruth card as well. A rare Lord of the Rings Magic: The Gathering card generated bounties of $1 million to $2 million. The card was eventually retired and sold to the musician Malone Post.

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Photo: Messi, GameStop, Shutterstock