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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UFC fighters to be featured in Topps' Debut Patch program
Topps will expand its popular Rookie Patch Autograph program into its fourth league this weekend with the new UFC Debut Patch. The first patch in the program will be worn by Andreas Gustafsson for ESPN FN 189: Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber on Saturday. Gustafsson will face Trevin Giles in a Catch Weight fight. According to Fanatics, fighters will wear the debut patches on the right sleeve of their walkout jerseys before the fight. Patches will be removed after the fight and transported to Topps' Dallas-area facility where they will be placed into one-of-one trading cards. Each card will later be autographed by the fighter. Topps didn't immediately announce which product UFC debut patches will appear in. The addition of UFC is the latest expansion to the debut patch program, which first launched as part of 2023 Topps Chrome Update Baseball. The program was later added to MLS in 2024 and WWE earlier this year. Fanatics Collectibles and UFC agreed to a new exclusive deal for trading cards in early 2024. Topps previously made cards for the company from 2009 to 2020. Since its launch, the debut patch program has proven to be one of Topps' most successful innovations since being acquired by Fanatics in 2022. To date, eight Rookie Debut Patch Autographs have sold for $25,000 or more, according to public records logged by Card Ladder. The most expensive sale from the program came earlier this year when the Paul Skenes 1/1 sold for $1.11 million in Fanatics Collect's March Premier Auction. It was later announced the card was acquired by national retailer Dick's Sporting Goods, which placed the Skenes RDPA on display in a Pittsburgh-area store. Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Topps Debut Patch Program expands to UFC, first patch debuts this weekend
Topps continues to build upon the enormous popularity of their Debut Patch program by adding the UFC to its lineup, following highly successful launches with MLB and WWE. UFC Debut Patches will make their inaugural appearance this Saturday, May 31, at ESPN FN 189: Blanchfield vs. Barber, according to an official release from Fanatics. Debut patches first captured collectors' attention in the MLB. The appeal of these patches lies in their ability to tie an exact moment in time, an athlete's first appearance, to a physical collectible. Knowing precisely when and where the memorabilia embedded on the card originates significantly enhances its collectibility and long-term value. Advertisement Today's card market has witnessed an overwhelming influx of one-of-one cards, which sometimes diminishes their perceived uniqueness. High-profile athletes like Victor Wembanyama had several hundred different one-of-ones available within just his first season, diluting the magic that might come with such a card. This saturation has amplified the excitement surrounding debut patches, effectively reintroducing a genuine, indisputable "One of One" collectible to the hobby. The first UFC Debut Patch will feature Andreas Gustafsson, who will don this specially created patch on the right sleeve of his walkout jersey. Following the bout, the patch will be removed, carefully transported to Topps' facilities in Dallas, and meticulously embedded into a unique, one-of-one trading card. Gustafsson himself will then autograph the card where it will then be inserted into a UFC x Topps product. Advertisement Fanatics confirms that Topps plans to include these unique Debut Patch cards in an upcoming Topps UFC product release but did not name the product. The UFC now joins an elite roster of sports in Topps' prestigious Debut Patch program, including MLB (2023), MLS (2024), and WWE (2025).
