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11-year-old collector declines Pittsburgh Pirates offer for one-of-one Paul Skenes card, sells it to auction

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•01/24/25•

NickGeddesNews

Paul Skenes
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles who pulled the Paul Skenes one-of-one Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card has decided the sell the card at auction, Fanatics Collect announced Friday.

The card will be available in Fanatics’ March Premier auction. Proceeds from the card will be directly donated to LA Fire Relief funds.

The Pittsburgh Pirates previously stated they were offering the following to the lucky person who finds the card:

  • Two Pirates season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years.
  • A softball game for 30 people at PNC Park plus coaching from Pirates alumni.
  • Private tour of Pirates City and LECOM Park (Pirates spring training facility in Bradenton, Florida).
  • Meet and greet with Paul Skenes.
  • Two Paul Skenes autographed jerseys.
  • Take batting practice/warm up with the team and other unique experiences at Pirates City and LECOM Park.

For those keeping score, that’s behind the plate seats to *2,430* games at PNC Park, regarded as one of the best stadiums in baseball. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, Skenes’ girlfriend, later raised the stakes.

“The person who finds the card can sit with me at a Pirates game in my suite,” Dunne wrote on X.

11-year-old turns down big offer from Pittsburgh Pirates for one-of-one Paul Skenes card

That’s a lot for an 11-year-old and his family to turn down and yet, they did it. When you have a rookie season like Skenes put together in 2024, you can bet there are plenty of card collectors out there itching to get their hands on this one.

Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs. He went on to have one of the best rookie seasons in history. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick out of LSU went 11-3 in 23 starts, sporting a 1.96 ERA. Skenes pitched 133.0 innings, striking out 170 batters and walking just 32.

He was named to the All-MLB First Team at the Awards Show in Las Vegas and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award alongside Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves. Skenes took home the NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award over Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres and Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers.