Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch Card Auction Going Crazy With One Day Left
The Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch Rookie Card, pulled out of a pack on Christmas morning by an 11-year-old, will sell to a high bidder on Thursday, March 20. The auction ends at 10 pm ET and holds 59 bids with a current bid of $840,000, including a 20% buyer's premium, as of Wednesday evening on March 19.
Related: 11-Year-Old Who Pulled Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch Speaks
The sale will mark the end of an odyssey that drew speculation about the card's worth and the person who pulled the card. The Pittsburgh Pirates offered two season tickets behind home plate for 30 years for the card. Skenes' girlfriend, gymnast Livvy Dunne, invited the lucky collector to sit with her in a suite during a Pirates game.
RELATED: Roki Sasaki Wore the Most Significant MLB Debut Patch of 2025
Ultimately, the 11-year-old boy who pulled the card and his family, who live in Los Angeles, elected to auction the card with Fanatics Collect. According to the auction page, "All Fanatics Collect proceeds from this card will be directly donated to LA Fire Relief funds."
The card is expected to reach more than $1 million in bids by the time the card enters extended bidding - quite the windfall coming from a box of cards the family bought for $320. There's no doubt there will be a healthy number of eyes on the auction to see what the card sells for. But then another layer of intrigue will be added: who is the buyer, and what will they do with the card?
From the Fanatics Collect description of the card, "In 2023, Topps introduced one of the most exciting new products in collecting – MLB Rookie Debut Patch Autographs. While RPAs have long been intriguing prospects for collectors, these cards feature a special MLB DEBUT patch the player wore on his sleeve during his first big-league game. Unsurprisingly, the 1/1 masterpieces proved to be a massive hit, prompting Topps to once again produce the cards for its 2024 Chrome Update set."
