Cooper Flagg’s $8.04M Card Sale Sets New RDPA Record

Cooper Flagg's Rookie Debut Patch Autograph from 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball sold for $8,040,000 at the September 2026 Premier Auction on Fanatics Collect, per a Topps Ripped report on cooper flagg sale sets rdpa. The result blew past Flagg's prior top card sale of $366,000 and reset the ceiling for the one-of-one RDPA format.

TLDR

• Cooper Flagg's one-of-one Rookie Debut Patch Autograph from 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball sold for $8,040,000 at the September 2026 Fanatics Collect Premier Auction, per Topps Ripped.
• The result is the largest RDPA sale on record, per Topps Ripped. Topps Ripped also describes it as the third-largest NBA card sale ever and the sixth-largest trading card sale in history.
• Dylan Harper's RDPA sold for $2,880,000. Kon Knueppel's RDPA sold for $2,340,000. Both came from the same auction, per Topps Ripped.
• The Rookie Debut Patch Autograph format was first introduced in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball, per Topps Ripped. It now sits at the top of the modern rookie card conversation.
• Collectors who track the RDPA market should watch future debut patch releases and how star rookies in each sport trade against these new benchmarks.

What happened?

At the September 2026 Premier Auction on Fanatics Collect, three Rookie Debut Patch Autograph cards from 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball crossed the block. Cooper Flagg's card led the way at $8,040,000. Topps Ripped reported that as the largest RDPA sale on record. The prior high mark for a Flagg card had been $366,000. This result did not just edge past the old number. It multiplied it many times over.

The same session produced back-to-back trophy sales for two other 2025 draft class rookies. Dylan Harper's RDPA hammered at $2,880,000. Topps Ripped called that the second-most expensive RDPA ever. Kon Knueppel's RDPA sold for $2,340,000. That dwarfed his previous top sale of just under $400,000 for a 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball SuperFractor Autographed card. Three cards, one auction, three new personal ceilings.

Matt Winkelreid, owner of Bleecker Trading, spoke with Topps Ripped about why the format resonates. He said the milestone matters because a player only debuts once. Pairing a one-of-one card with a patch from the jersey worn in that first game gives collectors something tied to the very start of a career. That framing helps explain why the RDPA has pulled away from the wider rookie card field in modern releases.

Why does this matter for collectors?

The Cooper Flagg sale sets RDPA record numbers that reset the reference points for modern basketball cards. The top comparable for this card type just jumped from the mid-six figures to eight million dollars in a single hammer. Every conversation about the format has to be recalibrated. Collectors weighing whether to chase, hold, or sell high-end modern rookies now have a very different benchmark to work from.

It also matters because the result did not stand alone. Flagg, Harper, and Knueppel all recorded their largest career card sales in the same auction, per Topps Ripped. The signal is broader than one hot card. Depth of demand across a rookie class tells a different story than a single outlier sale. Depth is what turns a headline into a category trend.

For readers new to the format, a few plain terms help:

• Rookie Debut Patch Autograph, or RDPA, is a one-of-one card. It pairs a patch from the jersey worn in a player's first game at the highest level with an on-card autograph.
• One-of-one means exactly one copy exists. There is no parallel population to compete with on the secondary market.
• Premier Auction refers to the marquee sale on Fanatics Collect. That is where the highest-value consignments are grouped.

None of this guarantees that the next RDPA will trade at similar levels. What it does confirm is that the collector base is willing to underwrite record prices at the top of the format when the player, the moment, and the card line up.

How does this connect to cards or memorabilia?

The RDPA sits at the intersection of trading cards and game-used memorabilia. That is part of why it has drawn the attention it has. The autograph anchors the card to a specific player commitment. The patch anchors it to a specific jersey worn during a specific first game. The print run of one anchors the whole object to a single point in time that cannot be reissued.

For collectors who focus on authenticated signed memorabilia, that structure is familiar. The value case rests on a documented tie to a real event, not on the card design or the parallel color alone. For collectors who focus on graded rookie cards, the RDPA behaves like a rookie card that also carries a memorabilia claim. That is a mix traditional base rookies and standard autographed parallels do not offer.

Flagg's card carries that structure as the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year, per Topps Ripped. He came into the league with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. That followed a freshman season at Duke that Topps Ripped described as historic. Harper's card carries it after what Topps Ripped described as a historic NBA Finals performance in his rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs. Knueppel's card carries it after a rookie year in which he set the NBA record for most three-pointers made by a rookie with the Charlotte Hornets, per Topps Ripped. Each card ties a one-of-one physical object to a documented rookie season. That is the pitch of the RDPA format.

The format itself is not exclusive to basketball. Topps Ripped noted that the Rookie Debut Patch Autograph was first introduced in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball. The 2024 baseball release featured a rookie class that included Elly De La Cruz, Junior Caminero, and Paul Skenes. That cross-sport rollout is part of why RDPAs now anchor the top of the modern rookie card conversation. It is no longer a basketball-only curiosity.

What should buyers watch next?

Here is a practical checklist for collectors who want to track this market:

• Watch which RDPAs surface next and where they are pulled. The print run is one per player, so each new appearance is a discrete event with its own comparables.
• Track how second-tier stars from the same rookie class trade against the Harper and Knueppel results. Those two sales help define the shape of the market below Flagg.
• Compare RDPA results to the top parallels of the same player, such as SuperFractor autographs. That shows how much of a premium the debut patch structure carries in any given case.
• Follow the baseball side of the RDPA format from the 2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball launch forward. Cross-sport comparisons are now part of the conversation.
• Keep an eye on future NBA rookie classes. Watch how their debut games translate into RDPA availability during the matching Topps Chrome Updates Basketball cycle.

Several questions remain open even after this auction. It is not yet clear how often trophy RDPAs will actually reach the open market in a given year. It is also unclear how the pool of active bidders at the eight-figure level will grow. Flagg's own card values across his non-RDPA parallels may also shift now that a new top comparable exists. Collectors who care about these questions are better served by tracking auction results as they come. Forecasting where the ceiling goes next is a harder game.

Our read is simple. The Cooper Flagg sale sets RDPA record numbers that give the format a new reference point. The Harper and Knueppel results in the same auction show that the appetite is not limited to a single name. For collectors focused on modern basketball rookies, that is the actionable takeaway from this specific event.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card?

A Rookie Debut Patch Autograph, or RDPA, is a one-of-one card. It pairs an on-card autograph with a patch from the jersey worn during a player's first game at the highest level of their sport. Topps Ripped describes these cards as capturing the true beginning of a professional career. Only one copy is produced per player.

How much did Cooper Flagg's RDPA sell for?

Cooper Flagg's Rookie Debut Patch Autograph from 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball sold for $8,040,000 at the September 2026 Premier Auction on Fanatics Collect, per Topps Ripped. That result cleared his prior top card sale of $366,000. It also set a new record for any RDPA sale to date.

How did Dylan Harper and Kon Knueppel's RDPAs perform in the same auction?

Dylan Harper's RDPA sold for $2,880,000. Topps Ripped called that the second-most expensive RDPA ever recorded. Kon Knueppel's RDPA sold for $2,340,000. That was well above his prior top card sale of just under $400,000. Both results came from the same September 2026 Premier Auction on Fanatics Collect that produced the Flagg record.

When was the RDPA format first introduced?

Topps Ripped reported that the Rookie Debut Patch Autograph was first introduced in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball. The format has since expanded into other sports. In the words of the same report, it has become the most important rookie card in The Hobby across the Topps sports landscape.

Where can collectors read the primary reporting on this sale?

The primary reporting is available directly from Topps Ripped. It covered the auction results and quoted Bleecker Trading owner Matt Winkelreid on the appeal of the format. It also laid out how the Flagg, Harper, and Knueppel results fit into the broader RDPA record book.