ROSEMONT, Ill. – I am browsing at the show, prospecting for Joe Burrow cards, when, behold, I see two in one display case. I ask the seller about her most expensive Burrow. That card, she says, is gone. Sold. And what a card it was. Someone had offered $100,000, but was turned down. Finally, the card went to auction.

Would you take $100K for a prized Burrow rookie card? How about $156K, knowing 20 percent would go to broker PWCC Marketplace? Or would you wait and hope for more later? Can you imagine being in this position?

He bought this rare Burrow last year, but he is not sure exactly when. It was definitely before the playoff run. He does not recall the exact price, either, maybe $75,000, or what the card paid at auction. Talking numbers makes him a bit uncomfortable. He does remember spending more on a card just once.

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“Me and my business partner – I lost him last year to Covid, God rest his soul – we bought a PSA 10 Tom Brady for $100,000,” he says, “and sold it eight hours later for $160,000.”

As we sit at the Chicago Sports Spectacular a week ago, Appleton seems genuinely astounded by the “crazy” money in play. He sounds like you or I would sound – or hope we would sound – if we could play at this level. He seems down-to-earth, unaffected, friendly, polite, humble, with yes-sir answers and a great outlook on the business.

“I’m a corporate guy,” he says. “All my buddies do this for a living. I don’t do it for a living. I’m an AT&T guy. I run the state of Georgia’s underground facilities, like copper and fiber.”

Jereme and his wife live in the Atlanta area and run this “small business” on the side, Courtney jumping in when Terry Dulin died. Jereme sees this as fun, a chance to get away on weekends and buy and sell a few things. He is about to turn 49. He could do this for a living instead of putting what he makes back into the business. But why?

“My boss thinks it’s the craziest thing ever,” he says. “My boss is like, ‘Jereme, why do you still work here?’ I say, ‘Because I’ve been here 23 years, Boss, why would I leave?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ ”

He is happy. Jereme and I talk about athletes each of us has met. We both appreciate the nicer ones, especially those who stay nice amid stardom. I enjoy Jereme and his perspective. He does not rue the cards sold too soon or too late. If he did, nobody would blame him.

Appleton does not know Burrow, but likes his personality. He can imagine seeing Burrow on the street and saying, “How ya’ doin’?” and Joey B stopping to talk. Jereme also saw something special in Burrow The Player and in the potential for Burrow The Card.

Jereme admittedly “overpaid” for the card, a “complete crapshoot.” Justin Herbert had been the hotter card and player from the 2020 draft class, but Appleton believed Burrow would be better.

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“I was gonna take a shot in the dark,” Jereme says. “Sometimes you just pick somebody, and you ride or die. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.”

He would keep the card in his case for shows, marking it above market price, trusting demand would rise. It did. When Appleton returned to the scene of his purchase, he was offered $100,000.

“I passed,” he says. “I know that’s crazy, right?”

Not so crazy. Courtney agreed with him.

“She told me no, straight up,” he says.

Joe Burrow was trending, straight up.

Leading up to the AFC Championship Game, PWCC sold a Burrow card in a private deal for $220,000.

Leading up to the Super Bowl, Goldin auctioned one for $230,400. And one for $289,200. And one for $534,000.

Jereme decided it was time to sell.

Up for auction went his Burrow rookie, a National Treasures card that features an autograph and a jersey patch. He bought this card already graded, 9.5 and gem mint by BGS. Only 99 copies of the card were made.

PWCC sales rep Andrew Ludlam says he wouldn’t be surprised if a $150,000 Burrow card in February would have brought $20,000 or $30,000 earlier in the season. “At the beginning of the year,” Ludlam says, “nobody thought that Burrow would go to the (Super Bowl).”

The sale finished after the loss to the Rams. Appleton is happy with the price. “Short of him winning the Super Bowl this year,” he says of Joey B, “what does he have to do for that card to get to $200,000?” The card is so high already and at the top of its market, better to cash in, he says, than wait out the inevitable drop in the Burrow market.

“It came down a little bit because it was the offseason,” PWCC sales rep Aaron Hanan says, “but his market’s gonna continue to climb back up, now that the NFL season is about to begin.”

Would you be tempted to see what Burrow can do with a revamped offensive line?

“Can you imagine him with an extra two or three seconds in the pocket?” Appleton says. “Most people think Herbert’s better. I like Joe Burrow. I’ll take him nine times out of 10. And Herbert’s good. … I know it’s a crap shoot, but I think he’s better than Josh Allen.”

What if you have a Joe Burrow card that might be the best one out there? What would you want for that? A million? How about $999,000 plus shipping? There is one on the market at that price. We can address that next week.

Email Bass at mbass@mikebasscoaching.com or reach out to him @SportsFanCoach1 on Twitter if you want to be included next week. His website is MikeBassCoaching.com.