The resurgence of sports card collecting since the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in value within the industry. Typically, the most valuable trading cards are from before the card production influx of the 1980s and 90s. These include the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card and the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card.
This doesn’t mean there haven’t been examples of modern trading cards that have garnered major price tags. These current valuable cards are like Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets. Collectors eagerly rip away at packs, and they hope for a life-changing piece of cardboard to appear.
To public knowledge, one of those Golden Tickets is still undiscovered in the form of a rare Paul Skenes rookie card.
Starting during the 2023 MLB season, card company Topps created possibly the most unique rookie cards ever produced. That season, rookie players began wearing a special “MLB Debut” patch on the sleeve of their uniforms in their debut games. After the game, Topps collected these patches, and they would add them to special one-of-one rookie cards for those players. Additionally, the players would also sign those cards, creating a truly one-of-a-kind rookie card set.
The “Debut Patch” cards, as they became known, were a major success both for Topps and the collectors lucky enough to discover them. The Topps set in which they were included, Topps Chrome Update, has become one of their best sellers. Collectors have benefitted from the rarity of the cards. The card most sought after in the 2023 set was Anthony Volpe’s, which was sold for 150,000 dollars.
With the success of the 2023 set, the 2024 Debut Patch cards had major fanfare. This set was going to include an impressive list of prospects and rookies, such as Jackson Holliday, Jackson Merrill, Jackson Chourio, Elly De La Cruz, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The biggest name in this set, and most sought after card, is that of Paul Skenes.
Skenes was an LSU standout and number one overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He skyrocketed through the minor leagues, and he made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11, 2024. He would take baseball by storm. He was the starting pitcher for the National League in that year’s all star game. He finished the season with 11 wins in 23 games started, 177 strikeouts in 133.0 innings pitched, and a 1.96 ERA. This incredible season accumulated in him being named the National League Rookie of the Year.
Skenes is one of the most looked-forward-to pitching prospects in recent history. It was inevitable that his influence on the field would carry into the realm of card collecting. Any and all of his rookie cards are considered valuable, and the rarest of them all has taken the industry by storm.
Topps released their 2024 Chrome Update set on November 13th. Within hours, the Topps website would sell out. In no time, these boxes were being resold online for anywhere between two to ten times their retail value. This was, in part, due to the popularity of Skene’s Debut Patch card.
The first public offer for the lucky collector to pull his card was from the Pirates themselves. They offered a lucrative deal that included season tickets for 30 years in exchange for the card.
Skenes’ girlfriend, social media darling Livvy Dunne, made her own offer. In exchange for the card, the collector can watch a Pirates game with her in her luxury suite.
Much like the Volpe card, collectors and card shops are offering bounties of up to 250,000 dollars for the Skenes card.
Fo how much will it eventually sell? According to a Sports Illustrated article, and based on the sale price of other Debut Patch cards, it’s estimated to be sold for anywhere between 350,000 and 1 million dollars.
As the holiday season has come and gone, there is still no sign of anyone having pulled the card. Maybe it’s still out there. Maybe someone has it, and they’re keeping it quiet, not yet wanting to let the world know they have the Golden Ticket.
How much do you think this card is worth? What would you do with it if you found it? Tell us in the comments below!
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