By Jay Cohen
ONLINE (AP) — A one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card was purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods for $1.11 million after a two-week auction.
There were a total of 64 bids on Skenes’ debut patch card, which is autographed and contains a patch that was on the pitcher’s jersey for his heralded major league debut in May.
The final price announced by Fanatics Collect late Thursday night, March 20, included a 20 percent buyer’s premium. Fanatics Collect plans to donate its proceeds from the sale to the LA Fire Relief Fund.
The 22-year-old Skenes is slated to make $875,000 while in the major leagues this year with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dick’s plans to display the card in a new collectors’ space at its House of Sport store at Ross Park in suburban Pittsburgh. Dick’s has its headquarters in Pittsburgh.
“Acquiring the Paul Skenes MLB debut patch card enables us to celebrate his incredible talent while giving our athletes a unique opportunity to experience a piece of baseball history up close,” Ed Stack, the executive chairman of the company, said in a release. “We’re thrilled to bring this special card home and display it in our Pittsburgh House of Sport store where it can inspire the next generation of athletes and collectors.”
The card’s journey over the last few months has generated the kind of buzz typically reserved for iconic collectibles featuring Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey, Jr.
The debut patch cards are featured in Topps Chrome Update. There were 91 in the first year in 2023 and 251 last year.
While the cards have attracted the attention of some young major leaguers and longtime collectors alike, most of the attention has been focused on Skenes’ card in particular.
A combination of Skenes’ burgeoning stardom, the considerable reach of his girlfriend, LSU gymnast/influencer Livvy Dunne, and a head-turning offer the Pirates made in hopes of securing the card fueled the hype for the one-of-one collectible.
It was claimed by an 11-year-old in the Los Angeles area after he discovered the redemption code for the Skenes card in a pack he received as part of a Christmas present. He declined the Pirates’ offer and instead turned over the card to Fanatics Collect, which has given it the “white glove” service for the last two months.
Skenes was voted the National League Rookie of the Year after he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for Pittsburgh last year. The right-hander is slated to start for the Pirates on opening day next week.
