RPA stands for “Rookie Patch Autograph”. RPA sports cards are arguably the most coveted class of modern sports cards in production today.
But what exactly are RPA sports cards? RPA’s are Rookie Cards that also include a Patch of a player’s jersey and their Autograph. On their own, rookie cards are already desirable by collectors. As are patch memorabilia cards. Same with autographed cards. But combine all 3 into a single card and you’ve got the makings for a grail.
Most RPA’s will include the RC shield, but in hockey for instance where the RC shield isn’t used, the manufacturer will frequently include some language on the card to indicate it’s a rookie card.
A more recent term that’s found popularity is ‘True RPA’. How is a True RPA different from a regular RPA? In a set like National Treasures, a player can have multiple RPA’s. But one of them is the True RPA and that card is typically part of the base set (eg. not an insert) and the first instance of that player in that set. In National Treasures, these are the RPA’s numbered out of /99.
