Deflategate Ball Going Up for Auction & Starting Bid Is $25,000

Bidding for a New England Patriots-used ball from the AFC Championship Game will open Thursday, per ESPN.com's Darren Rovell.

And yes, it's a Deflategate ball.

Patriots wide receiver Brandon LaFell handed the ball to fan Laura Nichols during the third quarter of the Jan. 18 game at Gillette Stadium. Running back LeGarrette Blount had ran it into the end zone to extend New England's lead to 37-7 over the Indianapolis Colts just moments before.

"LaFell picked up the ball, I pointed at him, he pointed at me, and he handed me the ball," Nichols told Rovell. "It was all so surreal."

At the time, she and her husband thought the ball was a replacement for the underinflated balls from the first half. However, the couple later realized that although Nichols hadn't received her souvenir until the third quarter, it was still one of the 12 balls used in the first half. It had just been reinflated.

The bidding on Lelands.com starts at $25,000 and will close July 17.

"This is a 'wow' type of collectible," founder and chairman of Lelands.com Joshua Evans told Rovell. "This is one of the best conversation pieces that has ever been sold."

Evans told Rovell he "could see this ball getting six figures." Considering the company sold the Bill Buckner ball from the 1986 World Series to Charlie Sheen for $93,000 in 1992, he's probably not far off.

[Darren Rovell]