Skenes 1-of-1 debut patch card to be auctioned for charity
The young collector who pulled the Paul Skenes 1-of-1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card has decided to sell the card at auction -- and it will help out a good cause.
The Skenes card will be sold at the Fanatics Collect March Premier auction. All of Fanatics Collect's proceeds from the Skenes card will be donated directly to Los Angeles fire relief funds.
Baseball card collectors everywhere had been on the hunt for the one-of-a-kind Topps card of the superstar Pirates rookie for months. It was finally found by an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles.
The card is expected to have an estimated value in the six figures.
The 11-year-old who pulled the card shared his journal entries with Topps on Friday -- where he wrote about how he begged his parents for a box of 2024 Topps Chrome Update cards, finally got one as a Christmas present and opened the pack containing the Skenes card with his family on Christmas morning.
"This card is a dream come true," he wrote.
MLB and Fanatics teamed up earlier this month to raise money to help those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles through an "LA Strong" collection, which includes merchandise for the Dodgers, Angels and other L.A. sports teams.
The "LA Strong" proceeds are donated directly to the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. Fanatics will donate the proceeds from the Skenes card auction toward the same cause.
The Pirates themselves had offered a trade to whoever found the Skenes card. The team's offer in exchange for the card included two Pirates season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game for 30 at PNC Park with coaching from Pirates alumni, a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two Skenes autographed jerseys and more.
¡°We had a lot of fun with the idea of a bounty, but we couldn¡¯t be happier for this young baseball fan and his family,¡± Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. ¡°Reading his story on how he pulled the card on Christmas morning, what a magical moment. That family bond is what baseball is all about. I would love to host him and his family and follow through with a meet-and-greet with Paul and his teammates, either here in Pittsburgh or when we travel to L.A.¡±