Rare Skenes rookie card sells for $1.1M at auction
A rare Paul Skenes rookie card pulled by an 11-year-old fan was sold at auction Thursday for $1.11 million.
The eye-popping sale price for the 1-of-1 Topps card, which featured Skenes' autograph and his Rookie Debut Patch, makes it the second-most expensive modern baseball card. Only a Mike Trout rookie card that fetched $3.9 million in 2020 went for more, according to ESPN's Dan Hajducky.
The figure is also $225,000 more than Skenes' 2025 salary with the Pirates.
The winner of the auction remains unknown.
Topps and MLB introduced the 1-of-1 cards featuring patches worn by rookies during their debuts in 2023. Skenes' card shattered the previous 1-of-1 sale record of $150,000 paid for New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's card last year.
Skenes rocketed to superstardom last summer, starting the 2024 All-Star Game for the National League and won NL Rookie of the Year while finishing third in NL Cy Young voting.
A manhunt for the card ensued in the winter after the Pirates offered a massive reward package to whoever found it, including Pirates season tickets for 30 years, a softball game at PNC Park, autographed Skenes jerseys, batting practice with the team, and other special experiences with the current team and Pirates alumni. Skenes' girlfriend, former LSU gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne, also threw in a Pirates game in her personal suite.
Ultimately, the 11-year-old Los Angeles resident who pulled the card rejected the team's offers in favor of selling it, which clearly paid off. However, meeting Skenes may still be in the cards, as Fanatics is now working to facilitate a get-together between the pitcher and the lucky winner, Fanatics Marketplace vice president Kevin Lenane told Hajducky.
The family, which has chosen to remain anonymous, plans to put the $1.1 million into college funds for the child and his brother, Lenane said.