Cards
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel rookie cards selling fast in basketball hotbed
CHARLOTTE—The two hottest NBA rookies in a fiery market for basketball cards had dealers showcasing their products across two early February shows in the Tar Heel State.
Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, both former Duke stars, have been impressive in their pro basketball debuts and the escalating value of their rookie cards reflects their strong performances as the NBA season enters the home stretch.
Heading into the NBA All-Star break, Flagg, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 49 games for the Dallas Mavericks and is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
Knueppel remains hot on his heels, averaging 18.9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the Charlotte Hornets. Their home arena, Spectrum Center, sits a few blocks from Truist Field, where Burke McKinney, known as the “Charlotte Card Guy,” promoted the Feb. 6-7 show on the Triple-A ballpark’s suite level.
A cursory check of the 100-table show at the Charlotte Knights’ venue showed that Flagg and Knueppel Topps rookie cards were priced from $5 to $75, depending on the type of card and the vendors displaying their wares.
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Those aren’t crazy prices compared with their limited-edition cards that have sold for five and six figures in recent auctions. On the high end, a Topps Silver Pack Superfractor #1/1 Autograph card of Flagg topped out at $180,000, while a 2025 Bowman U #1/1 Flagg-Knueppel dual-auto card sold for $91,499.
“Everywhere I go, if I have [Flagg] cards, they don’t last too long,” said Steve Sandoval, a retired military veteran in Jacksonville, N.C. and a collector for 30-plus years. “They go for premium prices, especially the graded stuff. The high-end is what people look for. Because Knueppel is local, everyone wants him around here. When you look at the price value, Flagg outweighs what Knueppel brings to Charlotte; what he’s doing for Dallas, he’s pretty much carrying the load and he’s good at it. He’s on the rise.”
That’s not to say that cards of Knueppel, the fourth overall pick in the ’25 draft, aren’t worth their weight in cash. His #1/1 autographed cards have reportedly sold for $38,000 to $57,600. For example, a Knueppel Topps Chrome Geometrick White Refractor sold for $41,454 on eBay.
Some dealers feel Knueppel as a player has greater upside than Flagg due to his overall game, which could potentially spur higher value for his cards. Knueppel is on pace to break Keegan Murray’s rookie record of 206 3-pointers made. As of Feb. 8, Knueppel had 174 three-pointers.
“Knueppel cards are doing really well locally and Flagg is doing great nationally,” said David Hager, owner of 245 Sports Cards in Mount Holly, N.C. “I would tell people to invest in both of them, especially Knueppel, because I think he’s a better player. You can get his cards cheaper right now. Flagg, barring injury, is a no-doubter; he’s going to be great. Knueppel will be more of a team player. He can light it up when his jump shot is going that night.”
Jamal and Jalen Troublefield, brothers and proprietors of TJ’s Cards in Asheboro, N.C., both believe Knueppel will easily break Murray’s record. They’ve seen Knueppel’s cards double in value, even his base rookies that run up to $10.
“I was looking on eBay, trying to figure out prices on cards [for the show] and saw a Knueppel Topps Chrome autographed card graded at 10 and it sold for $7,000,” Jalen said. “It’s insane.”
That being said, the Troublefields consciously keep some of the hot rookie cards affordable, sprinkling them out on display at the shows they attend. They had one Knueppel rookie priced at $25. (The same card cost $10 at 245 Sports Card’s tables).
“We sell a lot of rookies … but we don’t get into the high, high end of it,” Jamal said. “If you’re a general collector, you’re not going to be able to touch an autographed card. That’s why we try to stay in the $2 to $50 range.”
Jamal said he kept his allotment of Flagg cards at home, due in part to his mom being a Duke fan. He held on to the first Bowman U set from last year that included Flagg wearing his Blue Devils uniform.
At a card show in Wilmington, N.C., Chris Ingram, a dealer, collector and Duke basketball fan, wished he had brought more Flagg and Knueppel cards from his home in Chinquapin, N.C. Carolina Sports Promotions ran the Feb. 7 event at the local American Legion hall, where Ingram sold more than a dozen Knueppel cards and about 10 Flagg cards. Pricing ran from $5-$45 for those Topps, Topps Inserts and Topps numbered cards, Ingram said.
“I didn’t know they would go this fast,” he said. “Most people have bought the cards of them wearing an NBA uniform, but we do have some buyers that want the [Bowman U] cards of them in Duke uniforms, of which I don’t have any. That’s the way it is.”
Back in Charlotte, collector and licensed attorney Gary Bowers from Thomasville, N.C. got lucky in pulling a Knueppel Topps Holiday Rookie card out of a blaster box he bought at Game Stop for $30. At Truist Field, he was selling the card for $20. Bowers had some Flagg cards, but like other collectors at the show, he was holding them for his family, namely his son, a big Toronto Raptors fan.
“It’s basketball season and the trade deadline was yesterday [Feb. 6],” Bowers said. “We head toward the end of the year and the playoffs, which is always exciting. That’s typically when basketball cards get hotter and Topps has the license back. I’m not as familiar with the Topps stuff because it is newer in the market right now. But I like Knueppel a lot. I’ve gone and watched him play and enjoyed watching him shoot.”
Added Hager: “For their base cards, people are sending [Flagg] to PSA earlier. For a $5 card, they’re getting a grade 10 and selling it for $400. That tells you how good he is. Even cheaper slabs are going for $25 to $30 apiece.
“Cooper has the bigger name for Rookie of the Year, but who cares? Kon plays for the Hornets, the home team, and they’re better than the Mavericks after winning [nine] straight games.”
Don Muret
