Paul Skenes Debut Patch Card Up For Auction After Pirates’ Offer Declined
Paul Skenes Debut Patch Card Up For Auction After Pirates’ Offer Declined
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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 7 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.
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.
“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.”