— with the final bid reaching $4,560. People wondered how she could get it and how that autograph was kept all these years… The story behind it will truly surprise you!
The Surprising Story Behind Patrick Mahomes’ First Autograph, Sold for $4,560
In a remarkable tale of foresight and serendipity, a former Texas Rangers seasonal employee named Delaine auctioned off a piece of sports history in 2021: the first-ever autograph of NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, penned when he was just six years old. The item, a simple baseball card signed with the scrawled “PAT” in block letters, fetched an astonishing $4,560 at auction, leaving fans and collectors marveling at its journey from a casual team picnic to a coveted collector’s item. The story of how Delaine acquired and preserved this treasure for over two decades is as captivating as Mahomes’ rise to becoming one of football’s greatest quarterbacks.
The story begins in 2001 at a Texas Rangers staff picnic held on the final home game of the season at The Ballpark in Arlington. Delaine, then a seasonal employee working game days, attended the event where players mingled with staff, signing autographs at designated tables. Among them was Pat Mahomes Sr., a journeyman pitcher for the Rangers that year. Seated beside him was his young son, Patrick Mahomes II, a wide-eyed six-year-old tagging along with his dad. Delaine, clutching a baseball card for Pat Sr. to sign, noticed the boy and, in a whimsical moment, asked him to add his signature to the back. With a child’s earnest focus, young Patrick scrawled “PAT” in oversized letters, unaware that this simple act would one day become a piece of sports lore.
Delaine tucked the card away, not thinking much of it at the time. As the years passed, she held onto it, perhaps out of sentiment or an instinct that it might one day hold value. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes II grew from a multi-sport prodigy in Tyler, Texas, to a quarterback sensation, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl victories in 2020, 2023, and 2024. His meteoric rise, marked by three Super Bowl MVPs and a flair for no-look passes, transformed him into a global icon. By 2021, when Delaine rediscovered the card in her collection, Mahomes’ fame had skyrocketed, prompting her to have the signature authenticated. Experts confirmed it as likely his first-ever autograph, a one-of-a-kind relic from a future legend’s childhood.
The auction, held in 2021 by Heritage Auctions, drew intense interest from collectors. Bidding started modestly but quickly escalated as fans recognized the card’s historical significance. When the gavel fell, the final sale price of $4,560 was deemed a bargain for such a unique piece of memorabilia. “It’s not just a signature; it’s a snapshot of Mahomes before he was Mahomes,” said a Heritage Auctions spokesperson. The card’s value lay not only in its rarity but in the story it told: a fleeting moment when a young boy, destined for greatness, left his mark at his father’s side.
Delaine’s decision to keep the card for 20 years puzzled some, but she explained it as a mix of nostalgia and intuition. “I worked with the Rangers during a special time, and that picnic was a memory I cherished,” she said in an interview. “I never imagined Patrick would become this icon, but something told me to hold onto that card.” Her foresight paid off, but the emotional weight of parting with it was bittersweet. “It’s like letting go of a piece of history,” she admitted.
As Mahomes prepares for the 2025 NFL season, the auctioned card remains a testament to his journey from a Rangers picnic to NFL stardom. For fans, it’s a reminder that even legends start small, and for Delaine, it’s proof that a chance encounter can yield a treasure worth far more than its $4,560 price tag.
