The Shota Imanaga Rookie Debut Patch Autograph 1/1 card sold for $82,961 in Goldin’s April Elite Auction on Sunday to set a public record for any card of the Chicago Cubs star pitcher.
Prior to Sunday’s auction, the record for any Imanaga card was the $11,712 paid for the 2024 Topps Chrome Sapphire Padparadscha Autograph 1/1 PSA 10 at Goldin in March.
The sale is the fourth-highest for any debut patch in public records and the fifth card from the program to top $50,000.
Following a successful career in Japan, Imanaga signed with the Cubs and made his major-league debut in April 2024.
Imanaga finished the 2024 season with a 15-3 record, a 2.91 ERA and 174 strikeouts in just 173.1 innings pitched. Imanaga was also named an All-Star as a rookie and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
To date, the record for any Rookie Debut Patch Autograph is the $1.11 million paid for Paul Skenes’ RDPA in March.
Launched as part of 2023 Topps Chrome Update, the debut patch program features relics created for and worn only during a player’s MLB debut. The patches are removed after the game, authenticated by Topps and MLB, placed in 1/1 trading cards and eventually autographed by the player.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.