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Who Bought Paul Skenes' Rare Rookie Card for $1.1 Million?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Madz Dizon | Last updated Mar 23, 2025 11:15 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes’ rare rookie card has officially found a home after selling for a staggering $1.1 million at auction.

The buyer? None other than national retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods, which plans to put the card on public display in its Pittsburgh-based House of Sports store at Ross Park Mall, per DLCT.

The 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB Debut Patch card, featuring Skenes’ autograph and the actual patch from his Major League Baseball debut, became one of the most valuable modern baseball cards ever sold.

The final price set a record for any Paul Skenes card at public auction and marked the highest amount paid for any card from the Topps launch of the Rookie Debut Patch Autograph program in 2023.

According to Topps, only five baseball cards have ever sold for more. Among active players, only Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has had a card fetch a higher price.

The record remains the $12.6 million paid in 2022 for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, said Reuters.

The rare one-of-one card was originally pulled by an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles on Christmas morning. The young fan received a hobby box of Topps Chrome Update as a gift and discovered the historic card inside.

Word quickly spread about the card’s existence, with the Pittsburgh Pirates even offering an enticing trade package, including 30 years’ worth of season tickets behind home plate.

Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast and social media star Livvy Dunne, also attempted to sweeten the deal by offering a spot in her suite at a Pirates game. However, the young collector and his family ultimately decided to auction the card through Fanatics Collect.

After an intense bidding war, the auction closed at $1.1 million, exceeding Skenes’ projected 2025 MLB salary of $875,000. Fanatics Collect later announced that its portion of the proceeds would be donated to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.

In a statement, Dick’s Sporting Goods executive chairman Ed Stack expressed excitement about acquiring the card and bringing it to Pittsburgh.

“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,” Stack said.

“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.”

While Skenes may not have secured his own historic rookie card, he and Dunne can certainly appreciate its significance—not just as a valuable collectible but as a life-changing piece of memorabilia for one young fan.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh baseball fans can now see the card up close, thanks to Dick’s Sporting Goods’ commitment to bringing it home.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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