In the swirling and colorful world of sports card collecting, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has thrown not a curveball, but a rather enchanting curve card that has collectors and enthusiasts gasping with delight. At an astounding $1.11 million, Skenes’ 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card now reigns as the most expensive modern baseball card acquired without the luminescent presence of Mike Trout.
The details of this record-smashing sale crescendo into a symphony of intrigue and suspense. Encompassing an immaculate, on-card autograph and a lustrous patch sequestered from the very fabric of Skenes’ debut uniform, this card was crafted by the card wizards at Topps for the 2023 MLB season; their magical handiwork operates under the iron-clad exclusivity of the Major Leagues’ trading card pact. Collectively, Skenes’ card takes its rightful place under the shimmering lights beside Trout’s own record-setter, a one-of-one rookie masterpiece that auctioneers traded for $3.9 million back in August 2020.
The identity of Skenes’ card’s new guardian remains enshrined in mystery, as is often the style in these high-stakes realms of collection where Fanatics Collect conducted the orchestrated sale. The prior record-holder, a $150,000 Anthony Volpe card, and a handsome $198,000 paid for Jackson Holiday’s MLB debut patch autograph card during a spirited auction, both seem mildly mundane in comparison.
But how did this gilded piece of sports history come to market? The saga takes a turn that would make any marketer’s heart race: last Christmas, in the land of glitter and entertainment, an 11-year-old Dodgers fan found himself at the heart of this tale. It began innocently enough as he riffled through the festive papered mound, only to liberate a Skenes redemption card from its confines. This unique find left starry-eyed Pirates officials in its wake, who promised bounties that include, but were not limited to, 30 years of season tickets, an in-person chinwag with Skenes himself, signed jerseys, and tantalizingly exclusive tours of PNC Park. Even Skenes’ better half, Livvy Dunne, enthralled by the audacious allure of the card, offered her suite for a Pirates game to its recipient, while famed television show host Seth Meyers, not one to be left in the shadows, extended an open invitation for an exclusive card viewing.
Undeterred by these bounties fit for royalty, the young hero’s family resolved to navigate a different roadmap, engaging in gab with various auction houses in early January before putting their faith in Fanatics Collect. It was then that Kevin Lenane, Fanatics’ own marketplace maestro, took it upon himself to travel, sourcing the card from Topps to the family’s hearth, ensuring it received the royal treatment – a PSA grading before it was wrapped in destiny’s glow and flown back to the Big Apple’s embrace.
Along the way, Lenane shared a delicate exchange with a somewhat star-struck pilot, intrigued by the opulently insured artifact in tow. The card’s fame soared once more during Fanatics’ Super Bowl LIX party, displayed nobly in its protective casing, walls thrumming with an admiration resembling that of a Mona Lisa as Nick Bell, CEO of Fanatics Collect, looked on.
What of the spoils, then? As it were, the triumph will not be squandered. It appears fortune will not only shine on Skenes, but bless the young finder with a gilded education, the proceeds being wisely earmarked for college savings for himself and his sibling.
Our young card collector is now eagerly looking forward to an eventual meeting with Paul Skenes – as planned, no doubt, by the architects at Fanatics Collect. After all, in the storied domes of sports collectibles, the intertwining of journeys into destiny remains a tale as old as time, cards falling as they may.