Why Fanatics' Rookie Debut Patch cards could become the biggest in sports

Paul Skenes' MLB Debut Patch is expected to sell for more than $500,000. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Innovation is hard to come by in the sports card space. There’s only so much you can do with a 2.5-by-3.5-inch piece of cardboard.

Yet, Fanatics found a way to grab attention by using its access to teams and athletes to bring something to baseball cards that had never been done before.

When it debuted the MLB Rookie Debut Patch cards in 2023, sports fans and collectors loved the idea. A patch depicting a player’s first game is placed on a jersey. After the game, the patch is removed and sent to the facility where cards are created.

Once put together, the player then signs the card, making a truly one-of-a-kind collectible.

The MLB Rookie Debut Patch Autograph cards are not just sought after by collectors, but family members, friends and even the players themselves.

And there’s room for more.

Fanatics Collectibles’ CEO Mike Mahan recently said on the Sports Card Investor podcast that Topps would create Debut Patch Cards for football and basketball players in the near future. Topps is set to get the NBA license later this year while it will get the NFL license to produce cards in 2026.

“There’s been a ton of enthusiasm around the debut patch because it really is connecting you in an authentic way to that first moment a player steps on the field,” Mahan said on the show. “We would look to do the same thing the first time a player steps on the court or a player steps on the field in the NFL.”

Topps has already added the Debut Patch Autograph cards to MLS products. While the MLS cards haven’t reached the sales heights of the baseball version, they have been popular with that segment of collectors with cards selling for several hundred to several thousand dollars.

Topps has a unique opportunity with the Debut Patch Autographs and potentially could make them the most important cards for an athlete in their career.

In baseball, the most important card has long been a prospect’s 1st Bowman Chrome Superfractor Autograph. If there was one card that a collector wanted to own of a player, it was that card.

Consider Mike Trout’s 2009 Bowman Chrome Autograph Superfractor, which sold for $3.84 million in 2020. Paul Skenes’ MLB Debut Patch is currently for sale and has already passed the half-million dollar mark.

In basketball, the NBA Logoman cards from rookie years have grown in prominence. In football, NFL Shield patches and high-end rookie patch autographs have been some of the most sought-after cards.

Fanatics and Topps have the chance to create consistency through most sports. It will have the license for MLB, NFL, NBA and MLS. The thread tying them all together would be Rookie Debut Patch Autograph cards.

Imagine Victor Wembanyama or Patrick Mahomes having a rookie debut patch card. Since there is only one card for those moments, it can never be remade because there is only one debut.

“The debut patches were just a fantastic product idea,” said Fanatics Collect CEO Nick Bell in a recent interview. “They are truly a one-of-one, and I think collectors are starting to get their heads around what this means. I think we're only going to see them grow in importance over the coming years. I think as we start to see this the last couple of years, the cohort of rookies filter through and grow in prominence, I would expect to see interest in these debut patches grow and increase in prominence as well.”

While it’s great to imagine what it could have been like to have a rookie patch debut from all-time sports greats, the exciting part is to think about what’s to come.

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Why Fanatics' Rookie Debut Patch cards could become the biggest in sports

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