A Paul Skenes superfractor rookie card sold for $123,220 at Goldin on Saturday, setting a record for any Skenes card sold publicly — again.
Among Skenes’ most important and coveted rookies, the 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Autographs Superfractor 1/1 PSA 7 hit the auction block for the second time in four months after selling for a then-record $80,520 at Goldin in June.
To date, the 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft Superfractor 1/1 PSA 10 — the non-autographed version of the record-setting card — is the only other Skenes sale to top $50,000, selling for $63,000 at Fanatics Collect in August.
The sale for Skenes arrives amid a tight race for National League Rookie of the Year with San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill. After Skenes appeared to be the runaway winner for the early part of the regular season, Merrill overtook the Pirates ace to become the favorite in the second half.
Skenes is currently a -250 favorite to win the award, according to BetMGM. Prior to Skenes taking back the lead, Merrill’s 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autographs Superfractor 1/1 PSA 9 sold for $25,526 earlier this month on eBay, setting a new high for any Merrill card sold publicly.
Despite collectors often heavily preferring position players over pitchers, Skenes has remained one of the most popular players in the hobby since making his debut. Data tool Market Movers has tracked nearly 32,000 card sales for Skenes over the last 365 days, the fourth-most among active players behind only Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz and Gunnar Henderson.
Skenes’ graded cards have increased in price 44% over the last year across more than 7,600 sales. Skenes’ most popular seller, his 2023 1st Bowman Draft Base PSA 10, has sold more than 1,000 times over that same period.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.