In a dramatic turn of events that has left baseball memorabilia collectors reeling, a singular trading card has soared to astronomical heights, fetching an eye-watering $1.11 million at auction. This princely sum was paid for an autograph card of Paul Skenes, the 2025 ace pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, placing it among the elite echelons of modern baseball collectibles—a rarefied air typically inhabited by legends like Mike Trout, whose rookie card once commanded an illustrious $3.9 million.
For Paul Skenes, whose base salary in 2025 sits comfortably at $875,000, the record-setting card sale was conducted with a stealthy flourish as Fanatics Collect facilitated the transaction, keeping the buyer’s identity firmly under wraps. This transfer of a high-value card wasn’t there to merely grace a shelf but to stake its claim as the pinnacle of collectibles from the contemporary era, trailing only behind Mike Trout’s stupendous rookie card.
At the heart of this captivating sale is the allure of a card crafted with meticulous attention to detail—the 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card. Sporting an authentic autograph and a patch hewn from Skenes’ major league debut uniform, this card stands as a tangible testament to Topps’ mastery under MLB’s premier trading card license.
Once the crown jewel of personal deals was an Anthony Volpe card, which exchanged hands privately for $150,000. Jackson Holiday briefly held the spotlight with a card raking in an impressive $198,000 in another auction, but Skenes’ card obliterated these records with its headline-grabbing sale.
The fervor surrounding Skenes, a National League All-Star Game starting pitcher and a Rookie of the Year, has ignited a fervid collector frenzy seldom seen in the circles of modern sports card trading. This feverish enthusiasm reached a fever pitch last Christmas when an unsuspecting 11-year-old Dodgers fan from Los Angeles unearthed a Skenes redemption card from his gift. The Pittsburgh Pirates, eager to clinch this treasure back into their fold, dangled an extraordinary bounty. The dazzling offer comprised not just a lifetime of Pirates games and memorabilia signed by Skenes but also the personal honor of a meet-and-greet.
With offers that included prominent personalities like Skenes’ girlfriend Livvy Dunne, who extended a softball invitation to host the lucky card discoverer at a Pirates game, the entertainment world also made its pitch. Late-night television host Seth Meyers promised a VIP viewing experience of the now-infamous card.
Determined to fully appreciate the card’s market value, the young fan’s family resisted these temptations, opting instead to engage in thoughtful negotiations with various auction houses at the onset of the new year. Ultimately, Fanatics Collect emerged as the chosen successor, as Kevin Lenane, their Marketplace vice president, orchestrated a cross-country tour with the card that began in Texas, stopping for authentication by PSA, before returning to its adoring fanbase in New York.
At Fanatics’ Super Bowl LIX festivity, the card held court in its protected case, drawing onlookers akin to bees swarming a blossom in full bloom. The CEO of Fanatics Collect, Nick Bell, acknowledged the unprecedented volume of inquiries and the social media buzz that ensued once the auction house stoked the flames of anticipation.
In a fitting denouement to this saga, the proceeds from the staggering sale will shepherd the young fan and his sibling along the valuable path of education—college savings beckon, a future gilded with promise. While a sliver of the funds might detour briefly toward further collecting ventures, it is the hallowed halls of academia that await the lion’s share of this newfound fortune, ensuring that cherished memories translate into lifelong opportunity.
