The much-anticipated discovery of the Cooper Flagg NBA Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card, expected to sell for millions if it reaches public auction, drew a full range of emotions from everyone involved when it was pulled on Monday.
Rhody Breakers’ Chris Card, who had found the one-of-a-kind Flagg Debut Patch redemption card in a box break streaming live on YouTube, was calm and collected, all things considered.
“Oh my god,” Card said. “Welp, there it is. Rhody did it.”
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Chris Louth, who was sitting next to Card, didn’t muster a word while sliding his chair back from the table, hands behind his head.
About 800 miles away, the ultimate Flagg rookie card’s new owner was in tears.
“Took me about five seconds to realize what I was looking at and then I went straight to the fetal position, crying like a baby,” Jason Williams told The Athletic. “I don’t even know where the emotions came from, but they just took over. It was insane.”
Cooper Debut patch has been hit by Rhody Breaks. Nice to see a big card get hit and people not yell and scream. pic.twitter.com/OTpO8mxiOr
— NEO Cards & Comics (@NEOCards_Comics) August 11, 2026
A Clover, S.C., native, Williams now owns one of the most valuable basketball cards in existence, but his collecting journey isn’t unlike that of many hobbyists.
Williams, 50, started collecting at 12 but took breaks in his teens and 20s as life happened. Now a father of five who works at a local machine shop with his oldest son, Williams got back into the hobby in his mid-30s.
With his nearest card shop about 45 minutes away, Williams regularly participates in online box breaks, which allow customers to purchase the rights to specific teams or players in a set number of packs or boxes being opened.
Williams has been a longtime customer of Rhode Island-based Rhody Breakers since discovering the company during COVID-19, and purchased the rights to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-hobby-box break of 2025-26 Topps Chrome Updates Basketball.
Williams largely collects players from the Atlanta Braves, Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets, but he will aim for big hits in breaks. He paid $515 that night, hoping for something special.
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“The way I break, I like to go big or go home,” Williams said. “The term that’s thrown around loosely is ‘scared money don’t make money.’ It’s all about the big spots.”
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He got exactly what he wanted, though the immediate aftermath was overwhelming. Williams briefly spoke with Card on the phone shortly after the big pull but doesn’t remember much else.
“I said, ‘What’s up, buddy?’ and he didn’t say hello,” Card told The Athletic on Tuesday. “He just goes, ‘That’s what we do, brother.’ … It was an incredible phone call. And his opening line, it was just something that you can’t write, you can’t script.”
Williams couldn’t sleep and ended up going into work to keep himself busy. He later flew to Rhode Island to pick up the redemption card, which serves as a placeholder in the pack to protect the real card from being damaged. Williams smiled and held the redemption, which is in its own holder, up to the camera when asked if it was still in his possession.
“That thing has been in my pocket since I left. What are you talking about?” Williams said with a laugh.
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The wider sports card world is now focused on the card’s future. Debut Patch cards, first created by Topps and its parent company, Fanatics, in 2023, often end up at public auction because of their secondary-market value.
Flagg’s Debut Patch is considered the best from the program to date, across any of the sports in which it has been adopted, and has already received a slew of offers.
Several cash bounties have been placed on the card, ranging from $1.5 million to $4 million, though they may not be real.
Flagg’s team, the Mavericks, were among the first and most prominent bounties, offering up a package that includes a pair of premium lower-level season tickets for 32 years, an autographed, game-used Flagg rookie jersey and several other experiences in exchange for the card.
The Mavs’ bounty is similar to what the Pittsburgh Pirates once offered for pitcher Paul Skenes’ Debut Patch card. That card ended up at public auction instead, where it sold for $1.1 million to Dick’s Sporting Goods after an 11-year-old boy pulled it on Christmas.
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Goldin Auctions founder and CEO Ken Goldin has offered a $1.5 million cash advance if the card is consigned to his marketplace. Trading card platform Alt took the controversial step of opening a “Debut Bounty Auction,” accepting binding bids for the card even though it isn’t consigned to the company. Bids, which exceeded $3 million as of Saturday morning, will be carried over if the card is consigned and canceled in any other scenario.
Williams has seen those bounties but said he hasn’t decided what to do with the card yet. He also hasn’t decided if he’ll get the card graded.
“Right now, I’m just chilling,” Williams said. “I’m going to let it ride for a minute. I want to soak it all in.”
“I’ve seen (the bounties) and, like I’ve told everyone, the money to me right now is not the important thing,” Williams added. “It’s the experience that I think my kids are going to get to see that they’ll never see again in their life and the things in the hobby that I’ll get to experience that most people don’t. That’s important.”
Though the card hasn’t been consigned or sold privately yet, Williams hasn’t completely ignored what could be possible. He’s been working on a run of Hank Aaron cards but hasn’t committed to the 1954 Topps rookie yet. A collection that includes the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie and a Tom Brady rookie could be possible, too.
Williams could also end up going to the National Sports Collectors Convention for the first time.
“I’ve never been to the National. I almost went this year because it’s always on my birthday,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘I want to go, I’m 50 this year,’ but I talked myself out of it. And now I’m like, ‘I’ve got to go now.’ I think it just feels right to be there next year.”
In the meantime, Williams seems content to enjoy the experience with his friends and family. A decision on the card will happen when it happens.
“I’ve got this smile that I’ll probably never get rid of,” Williams said.
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