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Young collector pulls valuable Topps #1/1 Paul Skenes MLB patch card
An 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles has scored one of the hottest and most rare cards on the sports card market, pulling the #1/1 Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch Auto card.
The card is estimated to be worth more than $100,000. The collector found it after opening just one hobby box of the 2024 Topps Chrome Update set.
The 2024 Topps Update set features 1-of-1 MLB Debut Patch cards of the top rookies and second-year players in the game. Topps officials predicted the rookie cards could bring six- to seven-figure prices on the secondary market, possibly making it the most valuable set in history.
A 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Auto Superfractor of Elly De La Cruz sold for $116,500 last year, while a 2024 Topps Chrome Update Superfractor of Skenes sold for $111,532 and a 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Auto Superfractor of Jackson Holiday went for $68,500. All three sales were through Goldin.
Another 2024 Topps Chrome MLB Debut Patch card that was pulled is of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Junior Caminero, which sold for $66,000 at Fanatics Collect.
The big question now is whether the young collector will accept a bold offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who drafted Skenes No. 1 in the 2024 MLB Draft and inserted him into their starting rotation. Skenes went on to win NL Rookie of the Year after emerging as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.
As soon as the set was released, the Pirates offered two Pirates season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years to the collector who pulled the #1/1 card. The Pirates also offered: a softball game for 30 at PNC Park; a Spring Training experience including a meet-and-greet with Skenes; two Skenes autographed jerseys; batting practice and warmup with the team; and other perks. Skenes’ girlfriend, model and former gymnast Olivia Dunne, also invited the collector to watch a game with her in her personal suite.
The Pirates announced on Tuesday that the offer still stood, but there has been no word on whether the collector would accept.
Also See: Paul Skenes cards continue to soar
Goldin has also weighed in, offering to auction off the card and donate its proceeds from the sales to victims of the L.A. fires.
Other top rookies on the MLB Debut Patch cards include: Holliday, who is on the cover packs and box, De La Cruz, Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill, Shota Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wyatt Langford, Colton Cowser, Jordan Lawlar, Evan Carter and Pete Crow-Armstrong, among others.
Prior to each player’s MLB debut, a small patch was attached to the sleeve of their jersey. After the game, the patch was taken off the jersey, autographed, and inserted into a card.
The MLB Debut Patch cards in the 2024 Topps Chrome Update Series features more than 150 players, all of whom debuted from June 1, 2023 through May 24, 2024.
