Paul Skenes 1-of-1 MLB Rookie Card Hits Auction; Proceeds to Be Donated to LA Charity

The famous Paul Skenes one-of-one rookie debut patch autograph card obtained by a young fan is going up for auction starting on Thursday.

Fanatics Collect is listing the 2024 Topps Chrome Update card with bidding starting at 7 p.m. ET on March 6 and all proceeds being donated to Los Angeles Fire Relief Funds.

The auction runs through March 20 at 10 p.m. ET.

Topps announced on Jan. 21 that the card, which was released in November as part of the 2024 Chrome Update Series, was pulled by an 11-year-old collector in Los Angeles.

A few days later Topps posted a series of images showing the journal entires the fan wrote about his journey to get the box of cards that had the historic Skenes collectible.

The journal entry notes his parents surprised him with the hobby box as a gift on Christmas Day after he "went into full beg mode" for it when it was initially released in November.

Upon opening the pack with the Skenes redemption card, the collector said his "brain pooped" from all the excitement.

The card has been the source of an intense bidding war since being pulled. The Pittsburgh Pirates attempted to make a trade for it by offering two season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game at PNC Park for 30 people featuring coaching from Pirates alumni, a meet-and-greet with Skenes and two autographed Skenes jerseys.

LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, who is dating Skenes, attempted to sweeten the Pirates' proposal by offering to sit with her in her suite at PNC Park for a Pirates game.

The collector and his family turned down the offer to send the card to auction with proceeds benefiting charities that support Los Angeles fire relief funds.

Professional Sports Authenticators gave the Skenes card a perfect dual-10 grade. The Athletic's Larry Holder noted the grade could push the card's value up to $1 million at auction.

The current record for a Skenes card at a public sale is $123,220 for the 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Superfractor one-of-one autographed card in September 2024.

Skenes had an incredible debut season for the Pirates in 2024. He won NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting after finishing 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings.