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Paul Skenes cards continue to soar ahead of MLB All-Star Game
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been the most riveting story in Major League Baseball in 2024, making an unreal ascent in the blink of an eye. He went from being the overall No. 1 MLB draft pick in July 2023 to starting the 2024 All-Star game barely a year later. And why not? His first full year as a professional has been otherworldly.
In Triple-A ball earlier this year, he made seven starts and struck out 45 in 27 innings, pitching to a 1.32 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. In the majors, he’s been just as good, posting a 6-0 record in 11 starts and striking out 89 in 66 innings. His ERA and WHIP through the All-Star break were minuscule: 1.90 and 0.92.
Collectors are sold. In recent issues, we’ve reported on all kinds of four-figure sales among Skenes trading cards. Here’s a bunch more, each sold within the past six weeks (June through mid-July 2024), and each preceded by realized eBay auction price:
• $6,300 on 54 bids for a signed 2023 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor. It was marked #5/5 and graded PSA 10.
• $6,255 on 33 bids for an autographed 2023 Bowman Chrome Sparkle Refractor. Graded PSA 10, it was marked #4/71.
• $6,100 on 78 bids for a signed 2023 Bowman Chrome HTA (Home Team Advantage) Choice Refractor. Graded PSA 10, this one was marked #36/150.
• $5,725 on 70 bids for a 2024 Bowman Cyan Printing Plate. This rarity, a #1/1, was graded PSA 10.
• $5,625 on 47 bids for a 2023 Bowman Chrome Sapphire Gold Refractor. One of only 50 made, it carried a PSA 10 grade.
• $5,100 on 61 bids for a 2024 Bowman Chrome Gladiators of the Diamond Superfractor. This #1/1 card was ungraded.
By the way, you’ll find a healthy supply of Skenes-autographed Leaf cards. They're not MLB-licensed, so team logos are airbrushed away. As such, they typically sell for far lower prices. Examples: Two dual-signed 2024 Leaf Sports Heroes cards boasting the autographs of Skenes and Nolan Ryan sold for prices of $598 on 21 bids (ungraded) and $520 on one bid (SGC 10).
Another dual-signed Leaf card, this one featuring the sigs of Skenes and his girlfriend, Olympic gymnast Olivia Dunne, sold for $462 on 20 bids. And a Skenes single-signed 2023 Leaf Metal base card (#1/1) sold for $430 on 15 bids. It was graded PSA 10.
NEXT UP: CREWS?
Skenes’ journey to professional baseball included a memorable year, 2023, at LSU, where he turned in a 13-2 record and 1.69 ERA and struck out 209 batters in 123 innings. Among his teammates: outfielder Dylan Crews, who wound up being drafted in 2023 as the second overall pick, behind Skenes.
All Crews did at LSU in ’23 was bat .426 with 18 HRs in 258 at-bats. In 2024, Crews has progressed in the Washington Nationals chain from Double-A to Triple-A and is knocking on the door of the parent club.
As with Skenes, collectors are all in. Example: In late June, a card signed by Crews sold for a jaw-dropping $12,655 on eBay. It was marked #2/5 and graded PSA 9.
It wasn’t a fluke. Four weeks prior, an Orange Refractor of the same card, a Crews-signed 2024 Bowman Chrome, sold for $10,369 on 57 bids. This one, marked #9/25, had a PSA 10 grade.
Several other variations of Crews’ Bowman Chrome rookies sold for prices between $4,950 and $7,000. Bidders are obviously confident Crews will produce after arriving on the MLB stage. As it is, his minor-league numbers are good but not spectacular: Through the All-Star break, he was sitting at .267 with eight homers and 20 steals in 277 at-bats (combined Double-A and Triple-A). Yet the bids pour in….
