During the Covid-19 crisis, the White House coronavirus adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has become a household name and the unofficial face of the fight against the pandemic. And now you have your own business card.
On July 23, the president of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched the first ceremonial pitch for the 2020 Major League Baseball season. Fauci, 79, was billed as a “baseball superfan” and wore a Washington Nationals-themed face mask for the launch. .
Although Fauci released a wild pitch (with no fans in the stands to witness it live), souvenir company Topps released a limited-edition Washington Nationals baseball swap card with his photo and a short bio.
A total of 51,512 cards were printed for $ 9.99 each, and the cards sold out in 24 hours, setting a record for the company.
“That’s a combination of humility and really embarrassing,” Fauci said of the sales record during ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
Now hundreds of people are already selling individual Fauci cards on eBay. Currently, deals start from $ 1.99, but some sellers have set “buy now” prices as high as $ 9,995.00, hoping that people will pay the best price or offer a counter offer.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that people will buy at that price. And many more sellers have the cards available to buy immediately for $ 150 to $ 500.
Kenny Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, estimates that a single Fauci card is worth around $ 125 to $ 145.
Compared to other rare sports cards, this is a small change, Goldin says.
In perspective, the most expensive baseball card ever sold at auction was a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, a shortstop who played for the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1897 to 1917, which grossed $ 3.12 million. And in May, a 2009 autographed rookie card for Angels center fielder Mike Trout sold for $ 922,500.
It will probably take a little while for more Fauci cards to hit the market to get a precise idea of what the resale value is, says Joe Orlando, an expert in sports collecting, president and CEO of the Collectors Universe.
“The current rate for the card should be set to a constant range once enough product has hit the resale market and that initial excitement dissipates,” he says.
“The most important thing about a card will be a player represented on the card, the rarity of the card, the convenience of the card, and the ability to cash it out in the long term,” says Goldin.
Other non-athletes, from President Barack Obama to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were also swapped cards in their own way.
Of course, not everyone gets swap cards with the intention of reselling for more money.
“For those of us who are experiencing the Covid-19 crisis today, it would be difficult to tell the story of this pandemic to future generations without mentioning one of its most prominent figures,” says Orlando. “The card commemorates this unforgettable period in our lives, a period that still seems surreal to many people.”
If you’re interested in buying a Fauci card, Goldin suggests waiting two to three weeks for more cards to enter the resale market at a cheaper price.
“They made enough to go around,” he says.
Although MLB officially restarted the games on July 23, the league postponed the games on Monday, following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Miami Marlins team and staff.
“I don’t think they should stop [playing]But we just have to follow this and see what happens to other teams day by day, “Fauci said in an interview on ABC’s” Good Morning America “on Tuesday.
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