The Pittsburgh Pirates’ offer wasn’t enough to sway an 11-year old card collector who found the coveted Topps Paul Skenes 1-of-1 Debut Patch rookie card and has decided to sell it at auction.
The Los Angeles youth and his family will make the card available in the Fanatics Collect “March Premier” auction, and all Fanatics Collect’s proceeds from the card will be donated to the LA Fire Relief funds, according to Fanatics Collect.
Topps announced that the card, which is reportedly valued around $1 million, was found Tuesday.
JUST IN ???? The 11-year-old collector & his family have decided to sell the Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card at auction.
Fanatics Collect is honored to usher this iconic Topps MLB collectible into the next chapter of its journey. The card will be available in our… pic.twitter.com/2OWspuHwUP
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) January 24, 2025
The card, released in November as part of the Topps Chrome Update series, has drawn interest after the Pittsburgh Pirates offered season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park for 30 years to whomever secured it.
The offer also included a softball game for 30 people at PNC Park, a spring training experience including a private tour of Pirates City and LECOM Park, plus a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two Skenes autographed jerseys and batting practice/warm up with the team.
Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, also offered tickets to sit with her in a PNC Park suite.
Skenes, 22, is coming off a rookie season where he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. He started the MLB All-Star game, was named the NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting.
The 11-year-old collector who pulled the Paul Skenes 1/1 Debut Patch card just shared his journal entries…
It’s an absolute MUST-READ ????❤️ pic.twitter.com/PldkJMS06W
— Topps (@Topps) January 24, 2025
Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting issued the following statement Friday:
“We had a lot of fun with the idea of a bounty, but we couldn’t be happier for this young baseball fan and his family,” Nutting said. “Reading his story on how he pulled the card on Christmas morning, what a magical moment. That family bond is what baseball is all about. I would love to host him and his family and follow through with a meet and greet with Paul and his teammates, either here in Pittsburgh or when we travel to LA.”
The Pirates visit the Dodgers for a three-game from April 25-27 while Los Angeles returns to PNC Park for three more games from Sept. 2-4.
