A Lucky Collector Lands a Coveted Luke Littler Trading Card—Then Discovers the Challenges of Selling It

Lucky collector hits coveted Luke Littler trading card, then finds out how hard selling it could be

“I knew it was something special,” recalls Luke Wilkins, a 30-year-old collector from the UK, who pulled a one-of-a-kind rookie patch autograph card of dart sensation Luke Littler. Earlier this year, Littler, at just 17, triumphed at the World Darts Championship, positioning himself alongside the greats like Pele and Serena Williams. How’s your 2025 going so far?https://svtoday.org/

To celebrate Littler’s rookie season, when he reached the championship final at only 16, Topps released an exclusive, limited-edition set. Only 404 boxes were produced, each containing an autographed card, with a few lucky boxes even including relics such as pieces of match-worn jerseys or game-used dart flights. The catch? It was unlicensed, as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) had signed an exclusive deal with Panini in 2024 to release the first-ever official darts trading cards, including a 60-player set (with Littler) in December. Darts trading cards had been absent from the sports card market for over 30 years, with darts pros only featured in Top Trumps. The Topps Littler set quickly became a hot commodity, prompting collectors to fight for a box online—add to cart, checkout, spinning wheel, refresh, out of stock—leading to existential crises. The price of the boxes surged from the initial $180 retail price to over $1,300 on the secondary market after Littler clinched the title.

“We knew there was a demand for a darts product, especially with Littler, but the level of demand has been incredible,” said a Topps spokesperson. “The rookie season is always significant in trading cards, so making sure each customer got an autograph was a priority. It’s a special first, and we’re thrilled it’s been so well received.”

Wilkins, a passionate Pokemon collector and darts fan, was among the first to grab a box when they went live on Topps’ website. He decided to share it with his friend Jordan, who lives 400 miles away in Edinburgh. His generosity paid off when they discovered the rare 1/1 card.

“We don’t live near each other, so we opened the box on FaceTime,” Wilkins explains. “Jord was speechless. We knew we had to sell it once Littler won the Worlds. I’ve never been so stressed watching darts.”

Wilkins listed the card on eBay, starting with a risky $1 opening bid for a seven-day auction—hoping for the best but potentially ending up with far less than if he had set a fixed price. As the bidding intensified, Wilkins couldn’t believe his eyes when the auction ended at $17,905, setting a new record for the most expensive darts card ever sold. This price shattered the previous record of $5,669 for a Panini Luke Littler 1/5 autograph. To put it into perspective, this sale surpassed the $10,766 paid for a Patrick Mahomes rookie patch auto 1/1 in December 2023 and the $16,531 fetched for a Shohei Ohtani rookie autograph 1/1 in November 2024.

“I thought it would go for $4,000 to $6,000,” Wilkins said, still in shock. But then, the unexpected happened—the winning bidder never paid.

“There really needs to be a change in auction payment policies,” Wilkins commented. “I had a similar issue last year, where an item sold for $8,800 but was later re-sold for $4,100. A lot of people waste time.”

Despite the setback, Wilkins received a message from Jemil Tokdemir, a 35-year-old stock trader who made his fortune in cryptocurrency. Tokdemir, who had placed a maximum bid of $13,400, had been following the auction closely.

“The card is the holy grail of rookies right now,” Tokdemir explained. After the failed auction, he contacted Wilkins via Instagram and offered $12,200 for the card. They arranged to meet in person at a Starbucks in Reading, England, to complete the transaction.

However, when Tokdemir inspected the card, he noticed a small mark and hesitated to proceed with the purchase. He insisted on removing the card from its sealed case to inspect it further, only to discover the mark was on the plastic case, not the card itself.

“I started having second thoughts about the card’s surface,” Tokdemir said. “I told Luke I needed to think it over and went back to Manchester.”

The negotiations fell apart, and Tokdemir left after a seven-hour round trip. Wilkins was frustrated but took solace in the fact that Tokdemir had at least reimbursed his travel expenses.

“I was gutted,” Wilkins admitted. “But I was still happy with the pull. Selling the card, though, has been so stressful. So much can go wrong, and it’s a huge amount of money. I’ll be relieved once it’s finally sold.”

Realizing that time was running out to capitalize on the hype surrounding Littler’s World Championship win, Wilkins relisted the card on eBay for the original price of $17,905, hoping someone would meet him closer to the $12,200 he almost secured.

Meanwhile, back in Manchester, Tokdemir’s phone rang.

“I’m a middleman for clients in the Middle East and America,” Tokdemir explained. “One of my clients in Saudi Arabia was interested in the card, so I decided to buy it for myself and hold onto it for a few years to see how its value grows. Darts is growing in popularity, and I expect to see matches in Saudi Arabia soon.”

The next day, Tokdemir drove four hours to Wilkins’ home, and after some final negotiations, they agreed on a price slightly over $10,000—still a record for a darts sports card sale that was actually completed. Just the week before, a 1/1 autograph of darts legend Phil Taylor had sold for $18,000 on eBay in Germany, though it was subsequently relisted.

With the card now safely in Tokdemir’s hands, Wilkins has plans for his share of the proceeds.

“My girlfriend and I are flying to Scotland to meet Jord and his partner. It’s exciting, as we’ve never met in person; we’ve been friends through Pokemon,” Wilkins said. “I think I’ll just go back to opening packs after all this!”

As for Tokdemir, now the proud owner of the coveted card, he’s already thinking about future prospects.

“I might start discussing it with my client right away,” Tokdemir said. “But I’m also talking to Goldin about potentially working with them to see what they can do with it. To me, this is the biggest rookie card in Europe.”