The Paul Skenes Rookie Debut Patch Autograph 1/1 card has been pulled by an 11-year-old collector, Topps announced Tuesday.
An 11-year-old kid has pulled the Paul Skenes 1/1 MLB Debut Patch Auto.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 21, 2025
What should the newest lottery winner in sports collectibles do next? How should his family negotiate?@cllctMedia is here to share the playbook. pic.twitter.com/oFbyJqvnCG
According to Topps, the collector is from Los Angeles. No additional information was provided.
Previously considered one of the most important cards that had yet to publicly surface, the debut patch for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Rookie of the Year was released earlier this year in 2024 Topps Chrome Update Series Baseball.
Along with Skenes, the product featured more than 250 Rookie Debut Patches for stars including Elly De La Cruz, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill and Junior Caminero.
To date, the highest public sale for a rookie debut patch is the $66,000 paid for Caminero’s RDPA at Fanatics Collect in December.
Chourio’s Rookie Debut Patch reportedly fetched $105,000 shortly after, though that sale has yet to be confirmed publicly.
Though it isn’t considered a public sale, Anthony Volpe’s RDPA was turned over to retailer Dave and Adam’s Card World in 2024 as part of a $150,000 bounty for the card.
Among the most popular young players in Major League Baseball, the chase for Skenes’ debut patch captivated the hobby for months, and even prompted the Pirates to make their own offer, which includes 30 years of season tickets if the card is turned over to the team.
The Pirates confirmed on social media Tuesday that their offer for the card still stands.
The right-handed pitcher went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 23 starts for Pittsburgh as a rookie.
Created for and worn only during a player’s MLB debut, the RDPA program debuted in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Baseball, but the initial group lacked the star power of 2024’s class.
Hoping to create the ultimate 1/1 rookie card, Topps coordinates with each MLB team to place the one-of-a-kind patch on a rookie's debut jersey before removing it after the game and placing it inside a trading card.
It’s currently unclear what the collector has planned for the card, though most cards of similar value are graded and often put up for auction.
????????????????????????????????: The Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card has been pulled by an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles, CA. pic.twitter.com/tYZe5KuqM2
— Topps (@Topps) January 21, 2025
The current record for any Skenes card is the $123,220 paid for his 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autographs Superfractor 1/1 at Goldin in September — Skenes’ RDPA is expected by many to eclipse that price should it be available for sale.
Data tool Market Movers has tracked more than 72,000 sales for Skenes cards over the last 365 days, the third-most among all baseball players behind only Shohei Ohtani and De La Cruz.
According to third-party grading tracker GemRate, PSA has already graded more than 2,200 different Skenes cards and nearly 74,000 total. Skenes’ 2023 Bowman Draft Base has been his most graded card to date with more than 9,000 total grades and a PSA 10 population of more than 5,000.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.