In the vibrant world of sports card collecting, a defining moment has made its way from the heart of North Carolina to the forefront of the hobby. Just a week after the release of 2024-25 Bowman Chrome University Basketball, a card that enthusiasts across the nation had been fervently chasing emerged from the depths of brightly colored packs. The spotlight falls on the Cooper Flagg 1-of-1 Superfractor Autograph, unwrapped in all its glimmering glory at Score More Sports, a well-loved local card shop in Winston-Salem.
Destiny had its eyes set on a “personal case” card break, where one gutsy collector gambled on an entire case of cards. For the seasoned collector, pulling this card became akin to discovering a golden ticket; only in this version, the prize boasts a gold swirl accentuating its uniqueness. Adorned by Flagg’s bold signature, this card carried an additional rare charm—an intimate inscription that ties the card directly to Flagg’s roots.
Before any of the Bowman Chrome U cards even hit the racks, collectors across the nation had zeroed in on Flagg’s Superfractor Auto as the must-have of the season. From his illustrious high school journey with a crescendo at Duke that sees him as one of college basketball’s brightest stars, Flagg’s shine has increasingly become a focal point of both basketball and collecting conversations. And here it is—his first pack-pulled, fully licensed autograph card clothed in Duke blue off the market, leaving collectors either in awe or envy.
If the price of a 1/1 card could be measured by the heartbeats it skips, the value would certainly lie beyond any digital ledger. Yet, speculation is the name of the game, and the whispers through the hobby’s grapevine suggest a hefty valuation. Looking at past sales for his Topps Chrome McDonald’s All-American Auto 1/1, which sold for a dazzling $84,500, echoes loudly. That was a sale before all the accolades and the hoopla. The inclusion of Duke memories embedded into this new card potentially catapults its worth into the fans’ stratosphere of dreams, with hopes of a six-figure sale if it ever hits the auction block.
The card’s visual allure is undeniable, but a closer look reveals an inscription that strikes a chord beyond fan frenzy. “From the 207,” it reads in modest scrawl, a humble homage to the 207 area code of Flagg’s home in Maine. This gesture ties the glossy masterpiece back to the grounding years of his life in Newport—at Nokomis Regional High School—where records were shattered, and echoes of his talent began to rattle the basketball world. The first freshman to seize the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year award and lead his team to a state championship left an indelible mark in the dusty gymnasium, forever woven into his narrative now immortalized in this card.
For the lucky holder of this treasure, it transforms into more than just a token of monetary value. It symbolizes a milestone—a narrative circle that connects moments in Cooper Flagg’s journey to the threshold of greatness and finds its place amidst the rustle of collectibles. It’s the kind of story that hobbyists cherish, their imagination torn between keeping such a relic close or allowing global collectors to ponder its worth through the rigors of bidding wars.
Score More Sports now joins the annals of local shop legends, their story destined to be a tale retold over collections of cards and laughter lining the shelves where magic sometimes sneaks into packs. And while the future of this remarkable card’s journey remains unwritten—whether it ultimately finds solace among a collector’s treasures or becomes a headliner at major hobby auctions—its emergence is cemented as a defining moment in the enthusiastic landscape of 2024.
For collectors, Cooper Flagg’s narrative is made tactile, pulled seamlessly from a pack to become a shining beacon of both achievement and ambition—a bridge between the potential of a rising star and the legacy they hold in their hands.