It might be worth one million at auction if you have the right one
The card in question is singular in nature. Produced by Topps, it features Paul Skenes, a 22-year-old pitcher whose remarkable rise led him from being drafted out of Louisiana State University to being a major league superstar in a span of 10 months. The rookie card is autographed, but what makes it unique is that it includes the “MLB Debut” patch from the uniform he wore in his first major league game.
The card is the most sought-after type in collecting — a so-called one-of-one, with no possibility of being replicated — and it could fetch more than $1 million at auction.
But first, someone has to find it.
Released on Nov. 13, the card is hidden inside a rippable foil pack of Topps cards. It could be tucked on a shelf at a card shop in Kansas City, sitting in the fumbling hands of an excited teenager in London, or wrapped-up under a Christmas tree in Chicago.
It is not just collectors looking for the card, either.
Two days after the card went into circulation, Mr. Skenes’s team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, made an incredible offer — a “bounty” in sports card terms — to whatever lucky pack ripper ended up finding it. In exchange for the card, the team would give that person two seats behind home plate for every Pirates game over the next 30 years, a meet-and-greet with Mr. Skenes, a softball game with friends at the team’s stadium and more. Based on current ticket prices, and inflation, the package could be worth more than $1 million.
Then the deal got even sweeter.
Olivia Dunne, the L.S.U. gymnast and social media megastar, who is Mr. Skenes’s girlfriend, tacked on the chance to watch a Pirates game with her from her private suite. Even Seth Meyers, the late-night host whose father is a Pittsburgh native, offered four V.I.P. tickets to his show just for the chance to lay eyes on the card.
The card in question is singular in nature. Produced by Topps, it features Paul Skenes, a 22-year-old pitcher whose remarkable rise led him from being drafted out of Louisiana State University to being a major league superstar in a span of 10 months. The rookie card is autographed, but what makes it unique is that it includes the “MLB Debut” patch from the uniform he wore in his first major league game.
The card is the most sought-after type in collecting — a so-called one-of-one, with no possibility of being replicated — and it could fetch more than $1 million at auction.
But first, someone has to find it.
Released on Nov. 13, the card is hidden inside a rippable foil pack of Topps cards. It could be tucked on a shelf at a card shop in Kansas City, sitting in the fumbling hands of an excited teenager in London, or wrapped-up under a Christmas tree in Chicago.
It is not just collectors looking for the card, either.
Two days after the card went into circulation, Mr. Skenes’s team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, made an incredible offer — a “bounty” in sports card terms — to whatever lucky pack ripper ended up finding it. In exchange for the card, the team would give that person two seats behind home plate for every Pirates game over the next 30 years, a meet-and-greet with Mr. Skenes, a softball game with friends at the team’s stadium and more. Based on current ticket prices, and inflation, the package could be worth more than $1 million.
Then the deal got even sweeter.
Olivia Dunne, the L.S.U. gymnast and social media megastar, who is Mr. Skenes’s girlfriend, tacked on the chance to watch a Pirates game with her from her private suite. Even Seth Meyers, the late-night host whose father is a Pittsburgh native, offered four V.I.P. tickets to his show just for the chance to lay eyes on the card.
