NBA superstar Anthony Edwards arrived at Triple Diamond Sports Cards in Minneapolis Saturday to fans chanting “MVP.”
Meanwhile, NBA rookie Cooper Flagg dropped over $7,000 on rookie cards of his former Duke teammate and fellow NBA rookie Kon Knueppel, while MLB star Mike Trout traded a $10,000 card of himself to a young collector.
Those were just a few highlights of the fifth Topps Rip Night, an annual celebration of the sports cards and memorabilia hobby.
The Feb. 21 event featured tens of thousands of fans and collectors at more than 800 card and hobby shops throughout the country and in 20 countries around the globe. Fans and collectors of all ages were able to meet and interact with sports stars and celebrities while ripping packs and trading cards.
Among the other highlights included a surprise visit by Tom Brady at Collector’s Club in Miami, and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart pulling a 1/1 Star Wars card at Dave & Adams in New York City.
Meanwhile, New York Yankees players Anthony Volpe, Max Fried, Will Warren, George Lombard and Ryan McMahon arrived at Baseball Cards Clubhouse in Tampa after a 17-run spring training win.
Lines were wrapped around buildings and city blocks at Rip Night events across the country. The line in New York City stretched over more than three city blocks as fans and collectors waited several hours to get into the event at Dave & Adams.
The event included a record 150-plus athletes and celebrities, including:
• Chicago Bears star QB Caleb Williams at Canon Collectibles in Beverly Hills, Calif.
• Flagg, the 2025 NBA No. 1 draft pick, at Indy Sports Card in Indianapolis.
• Dart was joined by Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin at Dave & Adams.
• Trout, Arizona Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski at card shops in the Phoenix area.
• Carolina Panthers star QB Bryce Young at Jaspys Sport Cards in Los Angeles.
• Emma Roberts at Card Fanatics in Atlanta.
• WWE star Cody Rhodes at Giant Sports Cards in Alpharetta, Ga.