Like most Duke basketball fans, Steve was disheartened at the Blue Devils’ season ending in abrupt fashion in the Final Four. 

But to soften the blow, he’s still basking in a find that would be a dream experience for any Duke fan – or sports card collector.

Steve bagged the only Cooper Flagg card of its kind produced and maybe the hottest card on the sports collectible market right now – a Bowman University Chrome Cooper Flagg Superfractor autographed card. It’s one of the most coveted Duke college basketball cards, no small title for a program that’s boasted stars like Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum and Paolo Banchero in recent years.

So it’s a nice outcome that Steve, who’s followed Duke sports since he was young, has the card in his possession.

“I’ve been a part of the whole journey and to be able to pull the ultimate Duke basketball card is pretty incredible,” Steve said.

The 1-of-1 card contains his signature with ‘From the 207’ inscription underneath. That’s a tribute to the home state of Flagg, nicknamed ‘The Maine Event.’ Flagg won several national player of the year awards last week and is projected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft. Should that happen, Flagg would be the third Duke player since 2019 to go No. 1 overall, joining Williamson and Banchero. With the buzz around the draft and a sensational freshman season, his cards are some of the most sought-after in the hobby and that only figures to intensify when his NBA career begins.

A family affair

Steve asked WRAL not to reveal his last name, but was willing to share his excitement in showing off the card. Pulling it was actually a family event, as he opened the boxes with his brother and his brother’s wife before heading to San Antonio for the Final Four. The brother, who’s not as entrenched in the hobby as Steve, actually opened the pack with the Flagg card inside. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. 

“He sees something and he’s like ‘hmmm,’” Steve said. “And he looks over at his wife and they’re like chit-chatting like they’re in middle school. I’m like ‘you don’t have anything, just stop it.’ And then he looks over at me and he says ‘I don’t know but what is that?’

“I said give me that card, I got to put it in plastic right now before we can look at it.”

Bowman University Chrome is one of the first sets to offer cards with Flagg in a Duke jersey and was released on April 3. In January, Flagg signed an exclusive deal with Fanatics Collectibles, which means Flagg’s autographed and game-used cards can only be issued by Topps or Bowman.  

Steve pulled the card after buying two cases (24 boxes) of the product, one from Score More Sports in Winston-Salem and another from Fanatics. He also said there were two other Flagg autograph cards (those versions were not 1-of-1) in those cases. His daughter opened a pack to discover one of those. Needless to say, he got a great return on his investment.

“I’ve gotten a lot of great messages from people because how often does a diehard fan of a sports team get to really pull the ultimate card of their team?” Steve said.

Steve posted the feat on his Instagram page (@Parlaysandpulls) on Thursday and hobbyists interested in buying the card started coming in immediately. Steve said he’s gotten offers for the card of up to $160,000 as of Thursday. Private sellers and auction houses have reached out to gauge interest.

“Auction houses have reached out to me saying we want to make it the featured card of our NBA Draft auction,” Steve said.

Like Flagg, Steve has a decision to make in the coming days. Keep the card as a monument to his love for the hobby and Duke basketball – or sell it for a likely six-figure sum. He’ll travel to California to get the card graded by Professional Sports Authenticator grading service, known to collectors as PSA, and hope for a 10 grade for what’s considered gem mint condition. The grade will be a key factor in determining the card’s value. Steve said he feels confident it’s in excellent condition and will earn a high grade.

For comparison’s sake, a 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald’s All-American Half-Court Offense Signatures SuperFractor 1/1 featuring Flagg sold for $84,500 on Goldin auctions. That card did not feature Flagg in a Duke uniform, but was graded a gem mint 10.

“To sit there and see that one sell for $84,000 and know that there is no card better than this one out there makes me feel real good about where this is,” Steve said.

 In January 2024, a 1-of-1 Caitlin Clark Superfractor sold for $78,000. Last month, a Paul Skenes’ 1-of-1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card sold for $1.1 million to Dick’s Sporting Goods.  

‘Part of me wants to keep the card’

Steve got back into cards during the Covid-19 pandemic, when interest jumped back to levels not seen in years. He was able to buy classics that he couldn’t afford when he was a kid like the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card and Bo Jackson’s rookie card. He said he works roughly 80 hours a week and opening boxes serves as a good way to destress. 

There’s lots of dollar signs thrown around in the modern version of the hobby, but Steve holds his roots as a long-time fan tight. He talks about remembering the days of Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alarie before Duke joined the ranks of college basketball’s blue bloods. He’s been a season ticket holder and witnessed the 2010 and 2015 Duke championships in person. His continued ownership of the card would be another true blue checkmark of loyalty.

“Truthfully, right now I don’t know what I want to do with the card,” Steve said. “There’s a part of me as a Duke fan that just wants to keep the card.”

Flagg has been in the Triangle spotlight since his commitment to Duke in October 2023 and developed a following as he came up through the ranks in his hometown of Newport, Maine, and at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy. His profile and marketability figures to grow from here on out, as he already has appeared in advertisements for New Balance, AT&T and Gatorade.

Steve lives in the Triad and works in e-commerce. He’s an Iron Duke member and attended last weekend’s national semifinal between Duke and Houston. That game didn’t end the way Duke fans wanted it to, but Steve can’t complain for how his last week has unfolded.

“I’m just enjoying having the card right now and I’m waiting to see what PSA actually grades it as,” Steve said.

Source: wral.com