It was on sale for only 24 hours, but it broke company records.
The Topps NOW limited edition baseball trading card featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, set an all-time print record run for the franchise, selling 51,512 cards, the company said.
"We’re excited by the popularity of Dr. Fauci’s Topps NOW card," Emily Kless, Topps communications manager said in an email. "Topps prides itself on capturing the unique moments of the MLB season, one baseball card at a time, and Dr. Fauci’s inclusion in this year’s Topps NOW cards is just one way in which we are highlighting the uniqueness of the 2020 season."
The company's previous record was for a card of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which sold 19,396 copies and featured Guerrero's first hit.
The card features a photo of Fauci throwing out the first pitch during last Thursday's MLB season opening game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees. In the image, Fauci is shown from behind home plate, wearing a Nationals jersey and hat and a mask that commemorates the team's 2019 World Series Championship.
Fauci's pitch was well off the mark and hurtled short and to the left of the home plate circle.
The card sold for $9.99. The back of the card calls Fauci an "ardent Washington Nationals fan" and that his pitch "signaled the official start of the 2020 MLB season."
Fauci, the country's leading expert of infectious diseases, has been a member of the White House coronavirus task force and has helped craft policy surrounding the United States' response to the pandemic.
"I feel a little embarrassed and humbled," Fauci told CNN about the card sales. "I hope that Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle are not looking up at me saying, ‘What the heck is going on here?’ "
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