Fauci Card Sells Record 51K Topps Now Copies

Dr. Anthony Fauci TOPPS NOW® First Pitch Card Sells Record Of More Than 51K Copies In 24 Hours

Card Depicting Season-Opening Toss More than Doubles Previous Record From Guerrero Jr. Debut In 2019; Popular Daily Platform Now In Its Fifth Year

(July 27, 2020, New York)—The toss may have been a “flattened curve” low and outside, but the Topps Company’s TOPPS NOW® card depicting Thursday’s Major League Baseball opening night first pitch by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading expert on the current COVID-19 pandemic, was a perfect strike, as a record 51,512 copies were sold, more than doubling the previous record for the platform. TOPPS NOW celebrates the greatest moments in sports and entertainment as they happen with trading cards available for 24 hours only, exclusively at Topps.com.

The 79-year-old Brooklyn native’s pitch came prior to the 2020 season opening game between the Yankees and Nationals in Washington, D.C. The ardent fan wore a Nats hat and jersey as well as a facemask as he delivered.

The previous record for the TOPPS NOW (https://www.topps.com/toppsnow) platform, now in its fifth year of producing daily card depicting highlights of the previous day’s MLB action, was 19,306 copies of the debut of Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on April 26, 2019. Rounding out the all-time top five in TOPPS NOW history are the Babe Ruth/Shohei Ohtani Moment of the Week in 2018 (17,750), offseason Ohtani on December 10, 2017 (17,323), and Aaron Judge’s 50^th home run from Sept. 25, 2017 (16,138).

“The popularity of the Dr. Fauci TOPPS NOW card is indicative of how excited fans are for the return of baseball, as well as a tribute to a man that has helped guide the country through this Coronavirus crisis,” said Jeff Heckman, Global Director of Ecommerce. “The unique collectible has been a hit with not just those who follow baseball but all Americans who are appreciative of his service, and is the latest example of how we have been able to keep reinventing and growing fan engagement in these challenging times.”