Cooper Flagg Topps Rookie Debut Patch Card is Headed to Auction via Fanatics Collect

Cooper Flagg’s one-of-a-kind Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph Card is going up for auction via the Fanatics Collect September Premiere event starting on September 10 until September 24. Other items to be featured alongside the Flagg card include the Debut Patch Autograph Cards of Dylan Harper and Kon Knuppel. Interested parties will be pleased to know that the Flagg card received a Gem Mint 10 grade from PSA. Well, they’re either pleased that it graded a 10 or they are shaking their heads knowing that yesterday’s ungraded price is no longer what September 24th’s graded price is going to be.

Cooper Flagg's Card Chase

A few weeks ago, we covered the saga of the Flagg 2025-26 Topps Rookie Debut Patch Autograph redemption card. Randomly inserted into packs of 2025-26 Topps Chrome Update Basketball, the chase was on from the moment the product was released into the wild earlier this month. Million-dollar bounties were set, decades worth of season tickets were offered, and mainstream media coverage was enjoyed by Topps as Flagg’s Rookie Debut Patch card became the latest to break containment from just the hobby. No doubt that Topps will be hoping for a similar reaction to Las Vegas Raiders rookie and #1 overall NFL Draft Pick Fernando Mendoza’s Rookie Debut Patch card when that becomes available sometime in 2027.

The chase for the Flagg card did not even last a week before it was pulled during a livestream card break by me a Rhode Island-based card shop. The reason for mentioning the location will come into play shortly. The lucky collector who pulled the card was Jason Williams. Sadly, he is neither Jason “White Chocolate” Williams nor is he related to the NBA legend. Overjoyed from the pull, Williams’ instinct was not to immediately throw the card up for auction or collect one of the many bounties available. He even went on the hobby equivalent of a media tour to say that he was going to take his time and savor the moment before ultimately making a decision.

Story Behind the Card Going to Auction

So how did the card end up on the Fanatics September auction? According to Fanatics, the chase was on from the moment the card was pulled. The shop that pulled the Flagg redemption was bombarded with so many calls to inquire about the card that they had to unplug their landline. One of those calls was coming from Fanatics Collect VP of Marketplace Kevin Lenane.

Unable to reach Williams, Lenane hopped on a ferry from New Jersey to Connecticut the next morning. He then took an Uber to the Rhode Island shop, meeting a colleague from Los Angeles along the way in hopes of finding Williams. After failing to contact Williams on the first day, Leane reached out to Williams via the now-plugged back-in phone line of the card shop.

Williams met with Leane a day later and had discussions that lasted around 12 hours. It wasn’t until this week that Williams ultimately decided to cosign the Flagg card with Fanatics Collect.

While it would be silly of us to give a number of what the Flagg card will ultimately sell for, with the million-dollar bounties that were out there before the redemption was pulled, it’s safe to say Williams will be dealing with life-changing money. If only the Mavericks had offered more years of free season tickets…

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah For tips, reviews, or any shoes in a size 13, email nick@soleretriever.com