Paul Skenes Rookie Card Hunt Pits Auction House Against Pirates

The hottest bidding war in baseball right now is not over Juan Soto, but a baseball card.

On Nov. 10, Topps announced the release of a one-of-one Paul Skenes rookie debut autographed card featuring a patch worn during his first pro game. The card of the Pittsburgh Pirates phenom is available in one pack of 2024 Topps Chrome Updates.

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Yet on Friday morning, the Pirates themselves sent the baseball world into a tizzy with a Willy Wonka-like offer to the lucky person who pulls the card.

In a detailed tweet, the Pirates said that in exchange for the item, they would provide two season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game for 30 people at PNC Park (the Pirates’ home) where players will be coached by team alumni, and a one-of-a-kind spring training package.

The spring training experience will include a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two of his autographed jerseys, a chance to take batting practice and warmups with the team and other one-of-a-kind experiences at LECOM Park, the Pirates’ spring training stadium in Bradenton, Fla.

But Ken Goldin, the founder of collectibles firm Goldin Auctions, upped the ante with an alternative offer of cold hard cash. In his quote tweet of the Pirates’ post, he said “Before anyone takes this or any deal, email me directly. @GoldinCo will sell the card for you, put your kids thru college and you can use the leftover money to buy entry into a meet and greet with Skenes if you want….”

With a nod to the Shohei Ohtani, the star of Netflix’s King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch said a deal with his firm paid off handsomely for the person who ended up with the 50/50 home run ball hit by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star. “Just ask the last guy who turned down an offer from an MLB team how that worked out for him (Shohei 50 HR ball).”

On Oct. 23, the historic ball sold for $4.4 million after a late bidding rally ran the nearly month-long auction past midnight on the final day. The buyer was a Taiwanese investment firm, UC Capital Ltd., which plans to publicly display the ball for fans to see.

As if those bids weren’t enough, the holder of the card could also join Skenes’ girlfriend, social media star and LSU gymnast Olivia “Livvy” Dunne in her suite at PNC Park.

And if the card owner is kind enough to let him “LOOK at it for a SECOND,” late night talk show host and avowed Pirates fan Seth Meyers is offering four VIP tickets to check out Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Skenes, whom the Pirates drafted No. 1 overall out of LSU in 2023, had one of the best rookie campaigns in recent memory. The 22-year-old right-hander was named an NL Cy Young finalist, an NL Rookie of the Year finalist, an All-MLB First Team selection and the starting pitcher for the NL at this summer’s All-Star Game. In 23 starts, Skenes posted an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP.

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