One type of athlete quits the game and goes on with their life in a way that no one really knows about. Josh Donaldson, the former third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays who carried the team’s World Series hopes on his back, looked like he might be one of those. Retired in early 2024 and not seen much since. Then he walked into a podcast locker room and casually said that he owned trading cards worth about $35 million.
John Elway, who was sitting next to him, choked on his drink. We can pretty much sum it up in that reaction.
The moment happened on Locker 19, a podcast about sports memorabilia that is hosted by Scottie Upshall, a former NHL player. Elway was also there, opening card packs with Upshall. This is the kind of low-key hobby activity that collectors and former athletes enjoy. Donaldson then showed up without warning. Someone had just pulled a rookie card for Dan Marino from 1984. Donaldson leaned in to take a look and said the card was “pretty good” but printed a little off-center. That’s not just a random thought. That person really does know what he’s seeing.
Elway asked Donaldson if he collected cards. Donaldson quickly and almost subtly replied, “Yeah, my collection is probably worth about $35 million.”” As if he hadn’t seen the collection before, Upshall quickly made his case. The man wasn’t making things up.
The sport is what makes this really interesting. Donaldson played in Major League Baseball for 13 years. He made two All-Star teams and won the American League Most Valuable Player award with the Blue Jays in 2015, while hitting.297, hit 41 home runs, and had 123 RBIs, which was the most in the league that season. Over the course of 13 seasons, he hit.261/.358/.489, hit 279 home runs, and drove in 816 runs. This is the kind of job that pays well. Spotrac says Donaldson made about $159 million during his career, which puts him at number 79 on MLB’s all-time list of career earnings. He had the tools to make something like this.
But it’s not baseball cards, which is something no one saw coming. Upshall quickly made it clear for Elway by saying, “By the way, it’s all hoops.” Donaldson said there is some football in it, but basketball is the main thing. Donaldson spoke the truth when Elway said, “Everyone likes hoops.” He said, “That’s why it’s so crazy.” For years now, the market for basketball cards has been one of the most volatile and valuable parts of the hobby. It looks like Donaldson got that earlier than most people.
In one version of this story, a famous athlete spends a lot of money on a hobby that no one is looking at. That doesn’t quite work here, though. Donaldson talked about the Marino card in a way that sounds like someone who has lived in this world and not just written big checks. He noticed the print registration and looked at the card’s condition. People who collect things and know the market will be able to spot that eye. For a long time, you have to pay attention.
It’s still not clear how long Donaldson has been putting together this collection or which cards are worth $35 million. But the number itself is important in a hobby that has grown up a lot in the past ten years. What began as a fun activity for kids turned into a serious alternative asset class. Somewhere along the way, Josh Donaldson was a part of it, but no one really noticed. That part could be the most interesting one. Not the amount of money. It was just that no one knew.
