Tom Brady Autographed American Flag Is Going For Big Bucks At Auction

An autographed Tom Brady American flag is expected to get BIG bucks at auction.

The U.S. flag has quite the story surrounding it - one that included both lawsuits and two different eras of Brady's professional life.

Dan Vitale owns an autographed Tom Brady flag - believed to be the first of its kind. (Dan Vitale / TMZ)

BRADY HAS SIGNED THE FLAG TWICE

The story goes like this:

An American flag that was part of a flyover during a Patriots-Dolphins game in 2001 was signed by Tom Brady. The year is significant as it was Brady's rookie year and the start of his historic career. . 2001.

The flag's current owner, Dan Vitale, came to an arrangement with the Patriots to display it in their Hall of Fame. During his rumored first retirement, Brady's memorabilia started skyrocketing in price So, Vitale wanted his flag back in order to cash in on it. Unfortunately, the flag's signature was ruined.

Photos show that Brady's signature appeared to have some significant damage on it - something that Vitale claimed cost him over $1 million in value.

A before and after of a Tom Brady signature at the Patriots Hall of Fame. (Dan Vitale / TMZ)

STARTING BIDS ARE AT NEARLY $300K

A few months later, Brady re-signed the flag, although this time as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. The signature is giant and nearly 4x as big as the original one.

Vitale is now asking big bucks for the rare memorabilia - with bidding at auction beginning at $299,000.

A portion of the money will go towards the Behavioral Health and Developmental Services of Strafford County, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps those with autism. The remaining money will go in a trust for his autistic daughter as well.

Throughout the lawsuit, Vitale criticized the Patriots Hall for not coming to terms from their original agreement. "Neither the lighting at the facility nor the glass used for the case displaying the flag were designed to protect autographed sports memorabilia," Vitale claimed. "There was a significant gap in the glass directly in front of the flag through which unfiltered light and heat could pass," he continued.

The auction begins on March 23rd.