RDPA Expert Talks 2025 Chrome Update Chase

A Chat with Collector Josh Richter

25-year old Josh Richter has been in The Hobby for half a decade now, collecting across sports while building his Hobby business, Jersey Wild. As Richter tells us, his group runs around America, buying, selling, and trading cards and growing its social media presence through Hobby content.

All told, Richter has had 25 Rookie Debut Patch Auto cards come through his collection, and Topps RIPPED sat down with him to talk about these hot collectibles.

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RIPPED: Tell us how you got started in The Hobby. 

Richter: I’ve been in The Hobby since 2020. I played baseball in college down in San Diego at Point Loma, Nazarene University. COVID hit, I got hurt, had surgery, it just didn’t go well. But, one thing led to another, and I started to learn about sports cards.

I worked at Honey Hole, a Hobby shop down here for almost three years, just learning the ropes. Then, I branched off from them and started my own business. Now, I run a small business called Jersey Wild. We run around the country, we buy sports cards, we film social media content.

RIPPED: What drew you to collecting cards, in particular?

Richter: The relationships — not just with other collectors, but with the athletes as well. I think Topps has done a really good job building the relationship between the athlete and the collector. So that’s something that really intrigued me.

You meet a lot of really cool people in The Hobby. A lot of my best friends are people I met doing this. They were in my wedding. Relationships helped hook me into The Hobby. It’s like a baseball team, right? Your teammates, they’re your best friends. You go to shows every weekend and see your friends every weekend, and it builds.

RIPPED: You’ve been a big collector in the MLB Rookie Debut Patch Auto world. How many MLB RDPAs have you had at one time? Who was first?

Richter: We’ve had as many as 25. The first one was Bryce Miller of the Mariners.

RIPPED: Let’s talk about the chase. Why is the chase for an RDPA part of the passion of The Hobby for you?

Richter: I’m a big one-of-one collector, and I like having the best card from a set. It’s a fun chase. With the rookie debut patch, it’s literally the player’s best card ever. It’s the most personal card you can get of a player. And, they’re damn cool. It’s a game-used patch auto, and they look great. The eye appeal is strong.

RIPPED: Why do you think RDPAs have become such sought-after cards in The Hobby?

Richter: I think it’s honestly having a piece of baseball history. Even if the player doesn’t pan out, to tell my kids one day, hey, remember when player X/Y/Z played in 2020? I have a piece of their jersey from their very first game, and they signed it, and it’s a PSA 10. It’s a cool story.

RIPPED: What’s your favorite RDPA that’s been in your collection at one time or another?

Richter: My favorite was the Shota Imanaga. He signed it in Kanji, and it graded 10/10. I originally bought the Topps Chrome Shota Imanaga Superfractor Kanji auto, and it graded out to a BGS 10 Black Label. I sold it to somebody who was interested in the debut patches, and then he showed me where the Shota was, and then we went after that one.

I’m really big into Shohei Ohtani, too. I love his Kanji autos, and I collect those as well. And I thought that Shota signing in Kanji was super rare. So I went after the Superfractor and the Rookie Debut.

Another was the Hagen Danner. I played with and against Hagen for a long time. He lives in my hometown. I was at a show up in the PNW and somebody told me his card was there because they knew I was collecting them. I called somebody I knew who knew Hagen and said, “Hey, we should probably get this for him.” And we bought it on the spot and then gifted it to him. I have a picture of me and him together with the card.

RIPPED: How did you come into these cards?

Richter: A lot of it is social media. I’ve grown the pages: X, Instagram, Facebook. You put one ad on your Instagram story saying, “Hey, I’m looking for debut patches,” and within five minutes you have 30 messages in your inbox.

It’s who you know, not what you know. At card shows, I’ll get a tap on the shoulder. “Hey, you’re Josh, right?” They’ll say, “There’s a debut patch in the back corner.” I’ll go check it out, buy it, or trade.

RIPPED: Are there any 2025 Topps Chrome RDPAs you have your eye on?

Richter: Yes, and I would like this in bold somewhere. Otto Kemp. He was a teammate of mine at Point Loma. He had a great rookie year. Got called up in the middle of the year, doesn’t have 1st Bowmans, doesn’t have Topps rookie cards yet, but they posted a teaser of his RDPA, so yeah, I’m all over that.

RIPPED: Do you see RDPAs as a baseball-specific top chase, or will this carry over into other sports?

Richter: I think it’s going to be the hottest card in every sport.

RIPPED: Any advice for new collectors?

Richter: Have fun. Once it turns into a business, you can kind of lose grip of that. Have fun, make friends, invite people into The Hobby, build those relationships. And, if you’re on a little league team, invite your friends to the card shop — it’s a great place to hang out.

MLB Rookie Debut Patch Auto Collector FAQs

• What is a Rookie Debut Patch Auto (RDPA)?
  • A Rookie Debut Patch Auto is a one-of-one card that combines a patch from a player’s MLB debut jersey with their on-card autograph. It’s designed to be the most personal and significant rookie card for that player.
• Why are RDPAs such a big chase in The Hobby?
  • RDPAs give collectors a true piece of debut history — a game-used patch from the player’s first game, tied to a signed card. That combination of scarcity, game use, and on-card auto makes them a top-tier chase for serious collectors.
• How are Rookie Debut Patch Auto cards different from regular patch autos?
  • RDPAs are specifically tied to the player’s first MLB game, making them a single, specific moment in time captured on one card.
• Are RDPAs only important if the player becomes a star?
  • Every RDPA is a one-of-one debut artifact. Even if a player doesn’t become a superstar, the card still represents a unique chapter of MLB and Hobby history.

Key Facts

• Subject: Interview with collector and Jersey Wild founder Josh Richter
• Main Focus: Chasing MLB Rookie Debut Patch Auto (RDPA) cards
• Favorite Stories: Shota Imanaga Kanji RDPA and gifting Hagen Danner his own RDPA
• 2025 Topps Chrome Chase: Locked in on Otto Kemp’s Rookie Debut Patch Auto
• Hobby Message: Building relationships, community, and having fun in The Hobby

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