A baseball card commemorating Dr. Anthony Fauci's first-pitch at the Washington Nationals baseball game last week broke the company's sales record in just 24-hours.
The Topps NOW limited edition baseball trading card featured Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, sold 51,512 cars one day after the $9.99 card debuted on the company's website.
"We’re excited by the popularity of Dr. Fauci’s Topps NOW card," Emily Kless, Topps communications manager said in an email to USA Today. "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 previous record was held by Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which featured the player's first hit. That card sold 19,396 copies in 24-hours.
The card shows Fauci's behind home plate wearing a Nationals jersey and team hat during his pitch during last week's Washington Nationals game against the New York Yankees. Fauci's pitch was socially distanced from the catcher after he hurled it to the left of the home plate circle.
The back of the card describes Fauci as an "ardent Washington Nationals fan."
"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?’"
Photo: Getty Images