After months of searching, an offer from the Pirates that included 30 years of season tickets, a million-dollar auction, and a local company snatching up a one-of-one Paul Skenes card, a date has officially been set for the public to come see the Skenes MLB Debut Patch card.
DICK’s Sporting Goods announced this past week that the card will be on display starting on Friday, May 9 at the DICK’s House of Sport Store at Ross Park Mall.
The card contains a patch that was on Skenes’s jersey the first time he took the mound in an MLB game last May. The card, as previously stated, is a one-of-one and was sent to auction, where DICK’s purchased the card for the price of $1.1 million in March.
The hunt for a one-of-one Paul Skenes rookie card
Late in 2024, the Pirates and Topps announced that there was a one-of-a-kind Skenes rookie card. Known as the “MLB Debut Patch” card, the autographed card featured the patch that was on Skenes’s uniform in his big league debut.
From the time the card was sent out for the purchasing public, the hunt was on, and the offers from the Pirates, as well as Skenes’s girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, were astronomical.
The Pirates stated on social media that if the person who found the card was willing to return it to the club, they would get:
- Two Pirates season tickets behind home plate for 30 years
- A softball game at PNC Park for 30 with coaching from Pirates alumni
- A spring training experience that would include a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two Skenes autographed jerseys, and the chance to take batting practice and warmups with the team.
Dunne upped the stakes, saying that whoever found the card and returned it to the team could watch a game in her suite with her at PNC Park.
California collector declines the Pirates’ offer
In January, the hunt officially came to an end after an 11-year-old card collector in California pulled the card, becoming the lucky winner.
“I started begging my mom for it [Topps 2024 chrome update]…since they are awesome, they got the box,” he wrote in his journal that his parents shared with the Topps’ social media team. “The first present we opened was the hobby box…on the second pack, I got the Paul Skenes redemption card!”
Despite the Pirates’ massive offer, the 11-year-old declined the offer, opting to send the card to auction, but not for personal gain.
At the time of his decision, Los Angeles was being devastated by a massive wildfire, and instead of auctioning the card off for money, the child decided to donate the proceeds to fire relief funding.
Even after declining the offer, the Pirates did share a message with him saying “Well, we’re bummed that we won’t be seeing you behind home plate for 30 seasons, but we’d still love to bring you to Pittsburgh for a special day at PNC Park this season.”
Card nets $1.1 million at auction, comes home to Pittsburgh
Then, in March, the card officially headed to auction, where bidding took place in a frenzy with prices rising quickly.
It would ultimately sell for $1.11 million to, at the time, an anonymous bidder. Just hours after its sale was finalized, DICK’s Sporting Goods announced they were the ones to pony up the more than $1 million.
“DICK’S is passionate about bringing fans closer to the game,” said Ed Stack, Executive Chairman, DICK’S. “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. 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.”
On May 9, the card will officially be displayed in the new collectors’ space on the bottom floor of the store, and the public will be able to view it beginning at 9 a.m.
Fans who wish to go see the card will need a wristband that weekend. There will be 500 available each da,y and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
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