The baseball card industry has come back in a huge way since the pandemic in 2020 &#8211; a time when baseball collectors had nothing better to do than to rip some packs in search of autographs or other rare cards.
With sole rights to use MLB jerseys and logos on their cards, Topps (who was acquired by Fanatics in 2022) has completely cornered the market, pumping out set after set all season long. Their latest release &#8211; <a href="https://www.si.com/collectibles/news/topps-offers-50-000-for-rare-mlb-debut-patches">2024 Topps Chrome Update</a> &#8211; is particularly sought after due to the inclusion of the Rookie Debut autographed patch cards for each of the 250+ rookies that debuted in 2024. These cards are unique in that they feature the exact MLB Debut Patch from the respective prospects&#8217; first game in the big leagues and then the cards are signed by the player, making it a true 1 of 1 baseball card. Unsurprisingly, NL Rookie of the Year finalist <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/skenepa01.shtml">Paul Skenes</a>&#8216; patch card is one of the most coveted and may be the highest-valued card of the year.
While the card has yet to be pulled, the Pittsburgh Pirates put forth an intriguing offer for the person who finds it:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The Pittsburgh Pirates just offered season tickets behind home plate for 30 YEARS in exchange for the Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card…
Would you accept this offer?? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/6DBDR42xDW">pic.twitter.com/6DBDR42xDW</a>
&mdash; Topps (@Topps) <a href="https://twitter.com/Topps/status/1857479368487874808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It&#8217;s hard to put a dollar figure on what all of that may amount to, but the season tickets behind home plate could easily be sold for $300+ per game. That&#8217;s at least $25,000 per year, assuming every ticket is sold individually. If you&#8217;re a Pirates fan, this offer may be particularly attractive, especially considering having the opportunity to meet Skenes and snag a couple of autographed jerseys to go along with the tickets and other perks being thrown out by the Pirates.
Realistically, this offer falls short of what this card is expected to yield on the open market. Some believe that the card may end up selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars and potentially fetch $1 million. However, Skenes&#8217; girlfriend and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne upped the ante with an offer of her own.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Let&#39;s raise the stakes&#8230;the person who finds the card can sit with me at a Pirates game in my suite <a href="https://t.co/WZTk5SxHW5">https://t.co/WZTk5SxHW5</a>
&mdash; Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) <a href="https://twitter.com/livvydunne/status/1857481146637963688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At this point, it appears that if the person who pulls the card takes the offer, they will at least earn themselves fifteen minutes of fame. Taking this deal will also ensure that the card ends up with Skenes, who it will mean more to than anybody else. We&#8217;ve seen in the past with caught homerun balls &#8211; either a player&#8217;s first or carrying some other significance &#8211; that some fans are happy to take a lesser deal to ensure that the keepsake ends up with the player instead of simply taking the best offer.
This Pirates&#8217; offer will only intensify the hunt for this card. With the popularity of this product and the chance to strike gold, it probably won&#8217;t be long before it turns up. When that time comes, all eyes will be on that lucky collector to see what they decide to do with it.
For Blue Jays fans looking to find a Rookie Debut patch card of a Toronto player, Addison Barger, Cam Eden, Davis Schneider, Hagen Danner, Mason McCoy, Spencer Horwitz, and Yariel Rodriguez are all featured in this special insert card.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field.

The baseball card industry has come back in a huge way since the pandemic in 2020 - a time when baseball collectors had nothing better to do than to rip some packs in search of autographs or other rare cards.

With sole rights to use MLB jerseys and logos on their cards, Topps (who was acquired by Fanatics in 2022) has completely cornered the market, pumping out set after set all season long. Their latest release - <a href="https://www.si.com/collectibles/news/topps-offers-50-000-for-rare-mlb-debut-patches">2024 Topps Chrome Update</a> - is particularly sought after due to the inclusion of the Rookie Debut autographed patch cards for each of the 250+ rookies that debuted in 2024. These cards are unique in that they feature the exact MLB Debut Patch from the respective prospects' first game in the big leagues and then the cards are signed by the player, making it a true 1 of 1 baseball card. Unsurprisingly, NL Rookie of the Year finalist <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/skenepa01.shtml">Paul Skenes</a>' patch card is one of the most coveted and may be the highest-valued card of the year.

While the card has yet to be pulled, the Pittsburgh Pirates put forth an intriguing offer for the person who finds it:

https://twitter.com/Topps/status/1857479368487874808

It's hard to put a dollar figure on what all of that may amount to, but the season tickets behind home plate could easily be sold for $300+ per game. That's at least $25,000 per year, assuming every ticket is sold individually. If you're a Pirates fan, this offer may be particularly attractive, especially considering having the opportunity to meet Skenes and snag a couple of autographed jerseys to go along with the tickets and other perks being thrown out by the Pirates.

Realistically, this offer falls short of what this card is expected to yield on the open market. Some believe that the card may end up selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars and potentially fetch $1 million. However, Skenes' girlfriend and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne upped the ante with an offer of her own.

https://twitter.com/livvydunne/status/1857481146637963688

At this point, it appears that if the person who pulls the card takes the offer, they will at least earn themselves fifteen minutes of fame. Taking this deal will also ensure that the card ends up with Skenes, who it will mean more to than anybody else. We've seen in the past with caught homerun balls - either a player's first or carrying some other significance - that some fans are happy to take a lesser deal to ensure that the keepsake ends up with the player instead of simply taking the best offer.

This Pirates' offer will only intensify the hunt for this card. With the popularity of this product and the chance to strike gold, it probably won't be long before it turns up. When that time comes, all eyes will be on that lucky collector to see what they decide to do with it.

For Blue Jays fans looking to find a Rookie Debut patch card of a Toronto player, Addison Barger, Cam Eden, Davis Schneider, Hagen Danner, Mason McCoy, Spencer Horwitz, and Yariel Rodriguez are all featured in this special insert card.

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