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Topps reveals unlikely fan found one-of-one Paul Skenes rookie card

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•01/21/25•

NickGeddesNews

Paul Skenes
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

This past November, the 2024 Topps Chrome Update was released with a single pack containing the one and only Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch Autograph.

After two months, that card has finally been pulled from an unlikely source. Topps announced Tuesday that an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles is in possession of the card.

Now, the kid has a big decision to make. 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.

Paul Skenes shines in rookie season with Pittsburgh Pirates

That is quite the haul for anybody, let alone an 11-year-old. But does it outweigh the value of the card on the open market? That’s the question the kid must find an answer to in the coming days/weeks/months. When you have a rookie season like Skenes put together in 2024, you can bet there’s 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, and 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 which would have led the league if he met the innings requirement. Skenes pitched 133.0 innings, striking out 170 batters and walking just 32.

Skenes 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.