From 1/1 Cards to Shop Owner: Inside Cooper Flagg's New Card Store
The 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg, held the grand opening for his brand new card store, Flagg Trading Co. on September 12th. Flagg, opening the card store with his cousin Tyler Flagg, the hobby shop will look to be a staple for the Maine collecting community.
The excitement around Flagg’s entry into the sports card space was palpable as collectors were lined up as early as 3 am, for the 10 am opening on Saturday morning. The first location of Flagg Trading Co. is located in Bangor, Maine, just 30 minutes (26 miles) from Newport, ME, where Flagg grew up. Before transferring to Montverde Academy, Flagg started off his high school career at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport.
Flagg, receiving his first Bowman card as part of the 2024-25 Bowman University set, inscribed his 1/1 Superfractor auto with “From the 207," which is a nod to his Maine roots. As a homegrown talent, Flagg is as good as it gets, with Flagg Trading Co. serving as a key piece of Flagg’s growing impact outside of the game of basketball.
Flagg adds to the growing group of professional athletes who are diving headfirst into the sports card hobby by opening hobby shops, joining the ranks of Tom Brady, Candace Parker, and Mo Bamba. Brady has led the way with Card Vault by Tom Brady, having 20 shops open nationwide, including their Dallas location that sits just outside of American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Mavericks play.
Parker announced in April of this year that she was teaming up with Score More Sports to open a card store in Charlotte, NC, that is expected to open in October. The latest athlete to join the hobby shop space, Bamba’s Mo Bamba Cards and Collectibles Store, opened near the UT Austin campus on September 11th.
The opening of Flagg Trading Co. comes nearly a month after Flagg’s 2025-26 Topps NBA Debut Rookie Patch Auto 1/1 was pulled. In early August, Flagg’s debut patch auto was pulled by RhodyBreakers in Rhode Island, which is part of the Baseball Cards of Rhode Island retail shop.
This card made national headlines, and as the main chase of the set, Flagg’s RPA is expected to reach seven figures. Flagg’s Debut Patch Auto is currently up for auction via Fanatics September Premier auction, and at the time of publishing, the bidding is at $2.2 million, with ten days left.
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