Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes finds himself in a remarkable situation – his ultra-rare trading card is poised to sell for more than he’ll earn playing baseball this season.
The 2024 Topps Chrome Update Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch Autograph 1/1 card – graded PSA 10 – has reached $900,000 (including buyer’s premium) as the Fanatics Collect auction closes Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET.
The current bid on the Paul Skenes 1/1 Debut Patch card is now HIGHER than his 2025 salary… pic.twitter.com/jcSXogUUxS
— Topps (@Topps) March 20, 2025
An 11-year-old boy from Los Angeles discovered the coveted card while opening a hobby box of 2024 Topps Chrome Update on Christmas morning.
“Then on the fifth pack, it was there. I was shocked,” the boy told The Athletic in an interview. The family has chosen to remain anonymous.
Several enticing offers emerged for the card, including a generous proposal from the Pirates – season tickets for 30 years. With the family residing in California, declining this particular offer made practical sense.
The Pirates are making a huge offer to the person who pulls this Paul Skenes card 😳
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) November 15, 2024
(via @Topps, @Pirates) pic.twitter.com/h5DnKv19Po
Instead, they partnered with Fanatics Collect – whose parent company Fanatics owns Topps – to auction the card.
Experts anticipate the card will surpass the $1 million threshold before bidding concludes. Should it cross this mark, it would exceed the value of any Hank Aaron or Jackie Robinson card ever sold.
Despite his meteoric rise as one of baseball’s brightest stars, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year and 2024 All-Star starter wouldn’t be able to afford his own card on his current contract. Skenes will earn $875,000 in 2025, which will likely fall significantly short of the card’s final auction price.
