Latest news with #RookieDebutPatch
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Hobby is so back, baby or is it?
Morning, Collectors. After the dramatic post-COVID crash, the card market is officially back, says Will Stern from cllct, and in ways that may prove more sustainable than the stimulus-fueled frenzy of 2020–21. While million-dollar sales have resumed (nine already in 2025), the real story is broader: record-breaking online volume ($308M in July), a surge in mid-range and base card sales, product innovation like the Rookie Debut Patch, the emergence of new superstars (hello, Caitlin Clark), and major players like Sotheby's, GameStop, and Fanatics making aggressive moves. Stern even mentions that the hobby has its own social network now called Mantel, which sounds amazing and everyone should check out! COUNTERPOINT! Darren Rovell, also of cllct, worries that we might be headed towards a bear market, stating that the current market is showing all of the signs of a bubble. Hype, speculative buying, irrational price increases, lack of fundamentals… So which is it? We're always optimistic here at Mantel, but we'll wait until things shake out and then come back here to tell you we predicted the world correctly all along. Stay tuned! The Athletic: Controversial Little League Bat Flip is Now a Collectible Pin, Bat Going to Auction Twelve-year-old Marco Rocco's controversial bat flip, which briefly led to his suspension from the Little League World Series, is now being commemorated with a limited-edition collectible pin. Only 75 'BATFLIP 2025' pins will be available for trading in Williamsport, each depicting Marco mid-flip in his No. 10 jersey. Designed in collaboration with Jeff and Todd Frazier, the pins celebrate the 75th anniversary of Haddonfield Little League and are expected to be a sought-after item among pin traders. Meanwhile, Marco's now-iconic bat will be auctioned by Goldin (Ken Goldin's son plays on the Haddonfield team… serendipity!). Robb Report: MLB Players Are Taking the Field in Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Necklaces Van Cleef & Arpels' iconic Alhambra collection has found an unlikely but glamorous home on MLB diamonds, as players like Miguel Rojas, Junior Caminero, and Joc Pederson adopt the luxe, clover-shaped pendants as part of their game-day look. Once the domain of royalty and fashion icons, the necklaces, priced north of $9,000, are now being paired with cleats and batting gloves. Onyx appears to be the stone of choice, with its supposed protective energy adding a touch of superstition to the aesthetic. The trend evokes past player fads like the Power Balance bands (I had one and NOBODY could push my arm down when it was on!), but this time the jewelry's appeal lies more in prestige and polish than pseudoscience. NY Post: California Police Recover $30K Worth of Labubu Dolls After They Were Stolen From Warehouse A group of thieves in La Puente, CA recently bypassed cash and electronics to steal $30,000 worth of toy-of-the-moment, Garbage Patch Kids Furby Beanie Baby Labubu dolls. The Labubu, a grinning, bunny-eared oddity, has become a collector obsession, with blind boxes starting at $27.99 and rarer versions climbing past $500. One skateboarding variant sold for $10,500 last week. And of course, where there is money, there are thieves, and stories pop up near daily about major Labubu thefts. Knockoff versions called 'Lafufus' are already popping up in response. NYT: Hidden Inside Our Electronics, Tiny Doodles From Another Era This is the type of collecting story we love — an obscure category we never knew existed, with a fervent and growing community. The New York Times wrote about the hidden world of silicon art that is captivating a small group of collectors who search for 'doodles' etched into vintage microchips by engineers in the 1970s–1990s. These whimsical illustrations — smiley faces, pyramids, space shuttles, and even a Playboy bunny — were secretly embedded in unused chip space as a form of creative expression and personal signature. Though never intended for public discovery, the doodles are now being unearthed through a combination of technical skill, detective work, and a bit of hardware archaeology. With modern chip design no longer allowing such flourishes, collectors are racing against time to preserve these hidden relics of the analog era.
Fox News
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Paul Skenes bobblehead draws 'unprecedented' demand in Pittsburgh
Any time there's a bobblehead giveaway in Major League Baseball, you have to arrive early to secure yours. For Pittsburgh Pirates fans on Saturday, that meant hours if you wanted to get your hands on a Paul Skenes bobblehead. Fans began lining up outside PNC Park more than five hours before Saturday's game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland in hopes of landing a bobblehead featuring the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. The gates didn't open until 90 minutes before the first pitch, but that didn't deter fans. Lines stretched out in all directions from the park early Saturday afternoon, including one that snaked over the Roberto Clemente Bridge behind center field, which links Pittsburgh's North Shore to the city's downtown. Demand grew so great that the club — which has endured its share of public-relations issues during the season's opening weeks — pledged to make sure everyone in the expected sellout crowd who did not receive one will have an opportunity to obtain one. "Any fan who scanned into today's game after the first 20,000 bobbleheads were given away will be sent an electronic voucher," the Pirates announced. Team president Travis Williams called interest in the bobblehead "unprecedented." The promotion also happened to align with Skenes' fourth start of the season. The top pick in the 2023 amateur draft entered Saturday 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA, an MLB-best 1.39 FIP, 0.74 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. However, the Pirates are 8-13, last in the National League Central. Skenes, the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, posted a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 23 starts last season. This is hardly the first time an item featuring Skenes has drawn monumental attention. A one-of-a-kind rookie card featuring Skenes sold for more than $1 million at auction last month after accumulating 64 bids, making it the highest-selling Rookie Debut Patch card of all time. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Paul Skenes bobblehead draws 'unprecedented' demand in Pittsburgh
Any time there's a bobblehead giveaway in Major League Baseball, you have to arrive early to secure yours. For Pittsburgh Pirates fans on Saturday, that meant hours if you wanted to get your hands on a Paul Skenes bobblehead. Fans began lining up outside PNC Park more than five hours before Saturday's game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland in hopes of landing a bobblehead featuring the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. The gates didn't open until 90 minutes before the first pitch, but that didn't deter fans. Lines stretched out in all directions from the park early Saturday afternoon, including one that snaked over the Roberto Clemente Bridge behind center field, which links Pittsburgh's North Shore to the city's downtown. Demand grew so great that the club — which has endured its share of public-relations issues during the season's opening weeks — pledged to make sure everyone in the expected sellout crowd who did not receive one will have an opportunity to obtain one. "Any fan who scanned into today's game after the first 20,000 bobbleheads were given away will be sent an electronic voucher," the Pirates announced. Team president Travis Williams called interest in the bobblehead "unprecedented." The promotion also happened to align with Skenes' fourth start of the season. The top pick in the 2023 amateur draft entered Saturday 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA, an MLB-best 1.39 FIP, 0.74 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. However, the Pirates are 8-13, last in the National League Central. Skenes, the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, posted a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 23 starts last season. This is hardly the first time an item featuring Skenes has drawn monumental attention. A one-of-a-kind rookie card featuring Skenes sold for more than $1 million at auction last month after accumulating 64 bids, making it the highest-selling Rookie Debut Patch card of all time. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Major League Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
21-03-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Paul Skenes 1-of-1 MLB rookie debut patch card sells for $1.11 million at auction
Going, going, gone: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes' 1/1 Topps MLB Rookie Debut Patch card was sold at the Fanatics Collect March Premier Auction for $1,110,000 on Thursday after accumulating 64 bids. The seller of the card is the family of an 11-year-old boy who pulled it from a box of 2024 Topps Chrome Update that he purchased for Christmas in 2024. The PIrates offered the young collector a massive package that included 30 years' worth of season tickets behind home plate and two signed Skenes jerseys. The offer was turned down, and the collector's patience paid off in the end. The family intends to use the majority of funds towards college for their two kids, with "a little used to purchase more cards," according to a statement released by Fanatics on Thursday evening. Skenes' card is the highest-selling Rookie Debut Patch card of all time, surpassing the reported $150,000 for Anthony Volpe's as part of a bounty from Dave & Adam's Card World in July 2024, and it's the most his card has ever sold for, leapfrogging the $123,220 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospects Autographs Superfractor 1/1 PSA 7 sold in September 2024. Among active MLB players, only Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has had a card sold for more. RELATED: Ranking the 10 best starting pitchers in MLB for 2025 Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
CBS News
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
One-of-a-kind Paul Skenes rookie card sells for $1.11 million at auction
The one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes rookie card that went to auction has been sold for more than $1 million. The Skenes Rookie Debut Patch card from Topps was a hot item at the auction, which lasted for two weeks and closed early Friday morning. The card sold via Fanatics Collect, went for a grand total for $1,110,000, including a 20% buyer's premium, which Fanatics said they'll donate towards relief to help victims of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The buyer of the rare card hasn't been identified. The card, which contains the MLB Debut patch from Skenes' uniform and his autograph, was in a pack of 2024 Topps Chrome Update, which dropped on Nov. 13. Fans and collectors began frantically searching for the ultra-rare item, so much that Pittsburgh-area trading card stores said they could hardly keep up with the demand . An 11-year-old collector from California found the one-of-a-kind card earlier this year after the Pirates announced they'd trade the finder of the card season tickets, a meet and greet with Skenes and autographed jerseys. Paul Skenes' girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, also offered a seat in her suite during a game . The boy ultimately decided to sell the card.
