Cooper Flagg's Cards looking at March Madness Impact
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With major conference tournament play set to begin in NCAA basketball this week, the biggest teams and biggest stars in the sport are about to enter the national spotlight. While a prospect as highly touted as Duke's Cooper Flagg has obviously received a ton of attention already, postseason play is a chance to speed up the ascent to superstardom.
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Given the likelihood that Flagg will be headed to the NBA next season, this could be his only opportunity to create a lasting legacy at Duke. Let's take a look at where Cooper Flagg's cards stand as he prepares for the next step in his journey as a potential top overall NBA draft pick.
Cooper Flagg has shown his immense potential within The Hobby, most tellingly in early market movement following last month's release of 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald's All American. Unsurprisingly, this release is jam packed with Cooper Flagg offerings, an important moment that marks his Chrome debut. A total of 14 Flagg entries, including inserts, autos, and patch cards can be found in the set.
The top eight secondary sales from the set, per Card Ladder at writing, are Flagg's. That's despite the fact that this set features fellow high potential prospects like Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. The card pictured below, an auto patch numbered to /5, currently leads the way selling for $5,600 on March 6. Indeed, the high-end Flagg market seems to be on a bit of an uptick of late, with 44 four-digit sales in March alone.
Three of the top nine sales, including the /5 auto card pictured below, which sold for $5,600, have closed since March 6. Base cards, and some inserts are still available for $15 and under, including Combo Talent dual cards featuring Flagg with Ace Bailey, and Flagg with Dylan Harper. Flagg's autos have sold for $600 and up, with 23 sales ranging from $698-$5,600 since March 6.
In the land of Flagg One-of-Ones, the market still waits for major movement, but some Ebay listings have emerged as collectors and investors try to get a handle on the Flagg market. Listings range from from $15,000 - $90,000, the top of which is Flagg's Half-Court Offense Golden 1/1 Superfractor Auto (pictured below). A dual auto Combo Talent featuring Flagg alongside Dylan Harper is currently listed at $19,995.
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Flagg's early market has been stronger than top-of-class prospects from year's previous in men's college basketball. Bronny James remains the top selling player from 2023's McDonald's All American sett, with Card Ladder listing the top sale since November 2023 at $3,660. From 2022, a Brandon Miller /5 selling for $500 is the biggest sale of the bunch.
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Cooper Flagg heads into postseason play off a simply spectacular freshman campaign, in which he led the top-ranked Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game. A 6'9" wing with top-of-class vision and skill, Flagg's potential is unquestionable. Just ask U.S. Olympian basketball players, who saw him deliver an impressive performance at U.S. men's training camp before the gold-winning run in Paris.
Flagg's debut in the Topps Chrome brand has been strong, as was his Bowman U Now debut card. The card below, itself a 1-of-1 debut card sold for $3,800 in January of this year.
Indeed, a /5 auto relic version of the Bowman U Now card, featuring a piece of Flagg's game-worn sneaker, is the second-highest sale of a Flagg card, per Card Ladder, coming in at $5,500.
To this day, Carmelo Anthony's freshman year at Syracuse, in which he carried his team to a national title, remains one of the most enduring pieces to Melo's story. While Flagg may not on the level that LeBron James (who also appears in 2024 Topps Chrome McDonald's All American) and Victor Wembanyama were at this point in his career, if Flagg can take his team to a title in Melo-like fashion, it appears as though these early cards will continue to trade very well.
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Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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