In an electrifying twist that wouldn’t feel out of place in a high-stakes poker game, Paul Skenes, the illustrious pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, now has an additional feather in his cap—a profound honor in a field he likely never dreamed of conquering: collectible baseball cards. One might say his pitch isn’t just arriving at over 100 miles an hour; it’s ricocheting around auction houses at a jaw-dropping $1.11 million. The card in question: a 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card, now pinned as the most expensive modern baseball card that isn’t emblazoned with the image of Mike Trout. Ah, Trout—the perennial king whose one-of-one rookie card previously slew the competition with a $3.9 million price tag back in August 2020. But today, we toast to Skenes and his record-breaking ascent, the underdog story that won the card collector’s heart (and wallet).
While the details emerged like a stealthy ninja with a thirst for limelight, the identity of the buyer remains as enigmatic as a Gauguin painting, tucked safely away by the well-whiskered folks at Fanatics Collect. Skenes’ card—a masterpiece of its kind—features a hand-scribed autograph and a piece from his Pirates debut uniform, crafted elegantly under MLB’s exclusive trading card license with Topps for the 2023 season. It’s akin to the Mona Lisa of the baseball card world, only instead of a mysterious smile, we have a resolute pitcher heating up the mound.
Before Skenes became the talk of the town, the highest recorded sale for a card was a mere $150,000 for Anthony Volpe’s lucky cardboard, trailed by young Jackson Holiday’s MLB debut patch autograph card, which snagged $198,000. But let’s face it: Skenes spins buzz as easily as he does strikeouts.
Venerated as the National League’s All-Star Game starting pitcher, a Cy Young finalist, and no less than the Rookie of the Year in 2024, Paul Skenes has buzzed into the golden fiefdom of collector fascination—a rare feat in the modern symphony of sports memorabilia. His tale rings with the unmistakable chime of youthful exuberance, as witnessed last Christmas when an unsuspecting 11-year-old Dodgers fan from Los Angeles found himself at the epicenter of card-collecting euphoria. This juvenile connoisseur discovered a Skenes redemption card nestled among festive wrapping paper and, shortly thereafter, glimpsed a bounty from the Pirates that included 30 years of season tickets, royal meet-and-greets, prized jerseys, and private tours of PNC Park. In a side dish of southern hospitality, Skenes’ girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, graciously offered the card redeemer a privileged Pirates game suite experience, with Seth Meyers chiming in to promise a VIP experience just to catch a glimpse of the acclaimed card.
Rather than surrender to the Pirates’ tempting treasures, the family—perhaps wise beyond their 11-year-old’s years—opted for a more lucrative adventure. After careful deliberations with several auction powerhouses, they settled on the kinetic enterprise of Fanatics Collect. Here enters Kevin Lenane, the vice president of Fanatics’ Marketplace, who embodied the hybrid of a field archaeologist and art curator. He flew to Texas, pocketed the card from Topps, and chaperoned it straight to the family, ensuring it received the illustrious PSA grading before its celebratory journey to New York. During one dramatic passage to California, even the pilot became enwrapped in curiosity, sneaking a peek at the cardbox-crowned journey, an insurance titan of cargo.
The narrative took a grandiose turn at Fanatics’ Super Bowl LIX party in February, where the card, housed in a protective display case and suspended on a wall, enchanted the crowds much like a masterpiece might captivate art aficionados at the Louvre. Nick Bell, the astute CEO of Fanatics Collect, championed the overwhelming wave of interest that coincided with the auction’s crescendo. Calls and social media chatter swirled in a bebop-like fury, irrefutably securing the card’s status as an icon of modern memorabilia magic.
Proceeds from this heavenly sale are designated specially for the budding educational journey of our young collector and his brother, with the bulk set aside for college funds. Kevin Lenane noted how the taste of future collectibles might dabble with a small portion of the funds, yet the lion’s share will fortify the brothers’ academic pursuits, sculpting future scholars, or, perhaps, the next Skenes in training. Dream on, young fan; your card has written a chapter of its own and if Paul Skenes’ trajectory is any guide, even the sky is no limit.
