Paul Skenes Debut Patch card up for auction after Pirates' offer declined

New York Times

06-03-2025

The Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch autographed one-of-one rookie card will take the next step toward a lucrative payday for the lucky 11-year-old boy who pulled the card from a pack Christmas day.
An auction for the most coveted baseball card of 2024 will open on Fanatics Collect on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET and close March 20th at 10 p.m. ET. It wouldn't be a shock if the card sold for a six-figure sum given the on-field talent displayed by Skenes, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and All-Star starting pitcher, as well as the hype around the card fueled by a bounty from the Pittsburgh Pirates that was ultimately rejected.
Advertisement
Initially pulled from a pack as a redemption card by the 11-year-old card collector from Los Angeles, the actual Skenes card received the highest grades possible from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) with a 10 for the card quality grade and a 10 for the autograph grade.
According to Card Ladder, which tracks sales across trading card marketplaces, the most expensive Skenes card sale made public to date was his 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Superfractor one-of-one autographed card (PSA 7 card grade, 10 auto grade), which went for $123,220 through Goldin Auctions on Sept. 28, 2024.
Given the unique nature of the Skenes Debut Patch card, which features the patch he wore on his sleeve in his first career Major League start, it will likely obliterate that current record.
GO DEEPER
Exclusive: Hear from the family that found the Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch card
'We don't put an estimate on where this lands,' said Nick Bell, CEO of Fanatics Collect and Fanatics Live. 'But I can tell you obviously we get a lot of inbound from this, and the inbound that we've received for this card is not only from big collectors who typically kind of circle this sort of card, but also from a bunch of non-collectors who are really interested in this card for their first kind of major acquisition in the space.'
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Wynn currently holds the top spot for the most expensive 2024 Debut Patch card sold publicly. The PSA 10 graded card sold for $75,000 on Feb. 7. The most expensive card sold by Fanatics' marketplace platform to date was a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card graded a PSA 8.5 at $1.6 million in November 2024.
'I think what's exciting about these (Debut Patch) cards and I think what's really captured collectors' hearts and minds on this is like, where do these cards go in the future,' Bell said. 'I was trying to explain to my father in law, he's a big baseball fan, but I'm trying to explain the Debut Patch to him and why it was important and I said, 'Imagine owning the Babe Ruth Debut Patch.' Obviously these athletes coming through the ranks, I think these cards are going to be super interesting in 10, 15 years time, when people have these distinguished careers.'
Skenes is one of the collecting hobby's darlings heading into the 2025 MLB season — an unusual distinction for a pitcher in a space that usually places greater value on hitters. Skenes' employer and girlfriend may have aided in driving up interest for this particular card, though.
The Pirates made the most public pitch of them all at the onset of the release of 2024 Topps Chrome Update, the set that included the latest batch of MLB Debut Patch cards, offering two season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park for 30 years and a host of other unique experiences and items. Livvy Dunne — Skenes' girlfriend, social media influencer and LSU gymnast — offered the card holder a chance to sit with her in a suite at the stadium during a game if the person took the Pirates' deal.
Advertisement
The boy who landed the card and his family, who are from the Los Angeles area but chose not to make their identities public given all the scrutiny the card has drawn, opted to sell it through Fanatics Collect instead. Fanatics will donate its cut from the final sale of the auction to a Los Angeles Fire Department and Red Cross to help support those affected by the area's January wildfires.
'Skenes is clearly an incredibly exciting prospect,' Bell said. 'He's already demonstrated his capability. You layer on top of that, his X-factor. His relationship with Livvy (Dunne). You layer on top of that the fact that this card sat under an 11-year-old's Christmas tree and was opened on Christmas morning. There's so many great elements to this story. And then you layer on top of this the fact that, unfortunately, the family was displaced twice due to the LA fires, and so it hit at that moment for LA, as well.
'There was just so many factors to this story and I think it really has captured the imagination of so many. It's one of those cards that has really punctured through into the popular culture and news cycle. I had so many friends, family ask me about this card, even folks who are not into the collectibles world. So it's just kind of one of those iconic cards that I think has really captured the attention.'
Kevin Lenane, vice president of marketplace at Fanatics Collect, has served as the gatekeeper for the Skenes card. He picked up the card from Topps' printing operation in Texas and delivered it to the 11-year-old boy and his family in Los Angeles in February. He also brought the card to PSA for grading. Now he's been showing the card off leading up to the onset of Thursday's auction.
Among the marketing stops, the Skenes card served as the centerpiece to a feature at the Fanatics party in New Orleans on Feb. 8, the day before Super Bowl LIX. Those in attendance could pose and take pictures alongside the card framed on a wall. Skenes and Dunne received the VIP treatment with the card, though, as they held it and posed for photos at the party.
Advertisement
'We would love to see the card and the player persist in this legend,' Lenane said. 'And from a selfish standpoint, I want to be able to look back on this moment and tell it as lore to the collectibles industry for those that wanted to know, 'Hey, what was it like to get the Skenes card and to deliver the Skenes card?' It felt like such a hobby privilege to go and get this card and bring it to this family, and in such a crazy (scenario). …
'Everywhere we take it, whether it's anything from a professional baseball player to a CEO of a company to just a random 8-year old little kid, there's just gasps and wonder. Anyone that's in the hobby and outside the hobby knows what this card is. I would take the card out and there would be whispers and gasps and 'Oh, it's gonna be worth this much.' It was just the subject of so much wonder and speculation. It really did feel like kind of the golden (Willy) Wonka ticket and that's just such an exciting thing to be a part of.'
GO DEEPER
Victor Wembanyama viral jersey swap controversy and lawsuit explained
Two other high profile cards will also be featured in the same auction: a 2023 National Treasures Victor Wembanyama rookie Logoman one-of-one card with a PSA 9 grade and the Jackson Holliday MLB Debut Patch card.
Both cards are likely to challenge or surpass the current top prices for each player's cards.
Wembanyama's card market might seem in flux as he's out for the rest of this season with a blood clot in his right shoulder. Still the San Antonio Spurs center's most expensive card to date sold recently in the midst of the uncertainty. Wemby's 2023-24 Panini Prizm Nebula Choice one-of-one rookie card with a PSA 9 grade sold for $860,100 at Goldin on Feb. 22.
The highly touted Holliday's most expensive card sale to date is his 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Superfractor one-of-one autographed card (PSA 10 card grade, 10 auto grade), which sold for $68,527.40 on Sept. 2, 2024 through Goldin.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
(Photos: Fanatics)