This is the kind of card you could chase for a lifetime and never find. A 1998 Donruss Crusade Call to Arms Red—serial numbered 008/025: jersey number match.

It’s a pop 1, with none higher, BUT no other grading companies report grading a copy. It’s not just the highest grade—it’s the only known example of this card.

After an intense multi-day Fanatics auction with over 50 bids, it closed on May 18, 2025, coming in at the second-highest recorded sale of any Albert Belle card since 2019—trailing only a 1998 PSA 7 PMG that sold for $1,950 in 2024.

But unlike the PMG (which has multiple graded examples in circulation), this Crusade stands entirely alone.

Visually stunning and hobby-famous, this exact copy has been featured on Radicards, one of the most respected sources in the 90s insert scene. A faint lower foil line—common in Crusade Reds—likely kept it from a 10, but every other element presents gem mint.

There’s a Story Somewhere…

The story behind the card got even wilder once it arrived.

I started looking around for other copies of the card. The only other listing ever for an Albert Belle Crusade Red was for a raw copy that sold for $550 on eBay on March 26, 2024.

Based on photo comparison, I’m confident that raw is now this slab—the foil line along the bottom edge appears identical, and no other copy has surfaced since. That sale flew under the radar. I’m just glad I caught its next chapter.

The visual impact of this card can’t be overstated. The Crusade series is legendary, and the Call to Arms overlay adds another level of mystique. When the light hits it right, it looks like stained glass lit from within. The red foil, white Sox pinstripes, and intricate etching create one of the most beautiful cards of the ‘90s—arguably Belle’s most stunning.

Between the population rarity, the auction battle, the jersey number match, and the grail-tier design, this is one of the cornerstone cards of my collection. It’s also a powerful reminder: in the world of ‘90s parallels, it’s not always about the biggest print run—it’s about survival.

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