One-of-a-kind card featuring jersey patch of Pirates star Paul Skenes is heading to auction

Paul Skenes has been in the major leagues for less than a year.

A piece of the Pittsburgh Pirates ace — well, OK, a piece of the jersey that Skenes donned during his first start last May — could be ready to join some elite company.

A one-of-a-kind autographed baseball card featuring a patch of the No. 30 jersey Skenes donned during his big league debut is heading to auction on Thursday. The card’s journey over the last few months has generated the kind of buzz typically reserved for iconic collectibles featuring Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr.

The Skenes card the added advantage those cards did not: It happened to come along in an age when social media can amplify everything.

“The coverage on this just in my opinion is so much bigger,” Fanatics Collect CEO Nick Bell said. “I really can’t remember one similar to it to be frank. It’s pretty exceptional.”

Fanatics Collect, which is running the two-week auction that closes on March 20, isn’t estimating (at least publicly anyway) what the card might fetch, though Bell expects “a very significant sale.”

A combination of the 22-year-old Skenes’ burgeoning stardom, the considerable reach of his girlfriend, LSU gymnast/influencer Livvy Dunne and a head-turning offer the Pirates made in hopes of securing the card — including season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park for 30 years — has made it the rare collectible that’s generated interest from collectors and noncollectors alike.

“The amount of interest we’ve got in this card right now is kind of pretty unprecedented, honestly,” Bell said.

The card was claimed by an 11-year-old in the Los Angeles area in a pack he received as part of a Christmas present. He declined the Pirates’ offer and instead turned over the card to Fanatics Collect, which has given it the “white glove” service for the last two months.

Skenes, who briefly reunited with the card at the Super Bowl, said he’s surprised at the attention it’s received.

“I never would have imagined how much hype there was around it, which is cool,” he said.

Then again, hype seems to follow the reigning National League Rookie of the Year around. Bell attributed it Skenes’ X factor.

“He’s obviously kind of broken through into the world of popular culture with his relationship with Livvy, etc.,” Bell said. “And I think the story behind this card itself is just incredible.”

Demand for anything Skenes-related has been high since his senior year at LSU in 2023. A 2023 card featuring Skenes fetched $63,000 last August.

There is no reserve on the card, meaning you probably can put in a $20 bid if you want. Just don’t expect it to stick.

“It just really has captured the imagination,” Bell said. “And I think it goes from being a truly innovative product. You have a great athlete with a huge career ahead of them and an incredible story to go along with it.”

Fanatics Collect plans to donate any of its proceeds from the eventual sale to the LA Fire Relief Fund.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb