Paul Skenes is facing an unprecedented financial twist that no one likely saw coming. The highly touted pitching prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates is on the verge of getting out-earned by an 11-year-old. Yup, you read that right. This situation results from a stroke of luck turned into a potential windfall by the kid who pulled Paul Skenes’ MLB debut patch card. Now, a bidding war has erupted over this unique sports memorabilia, which might potentially surpass the Pirates rookie’s base salary.

The 11-year-old from Los Angeles received a hobby box of 2024 Topps Chrome Update from his parents for Christmas last year. In a moment that can best be described as a Christmas miracle, the kid picked out a redemption card. His father initially mistook it for a checklist. But the kid knew what it was right away. After sending it back to Topps, the family received the highly coveted 1-of-1 autographed Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch card. They have since decided to auction the card, and the results are straight out of a dream.

The auction has attracted significant media attention, drawing interest from both sports and financial news outlets. As of Wednesday night, there have been 56 bids already! According to The Athletic, the highest bid stands at $550,000 so far. However, with the auction set to last until March 20, the offers could go into the millions, which will far surpass Skenes’ base salary with the Pirates.

If the rookie stays on his current trajectory, he is set to make a fortune in his career. As of today, though, he will make a base salary of $800,000 this season per Spotrac. This amount pales in comparison to the amount that his card is predicted to rake in.

Larry Holder of The Athletic revealed that the CEO of Fanatics spoke with him about interest in the card. But this was from not only collectors but also from “non-collectors who are really interested in this card for their first kind of major acquisition in the space.” The popularity of this story though comes from the magic of sports collecting. However, the magic of sports collecting drives the popularity of this story. In this a stroke of luck led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an 11-year-old and a chance to make history for a rising star.

The most expensive baseball cards of all time

The high price of the Paul Skenes’ debut patch card is a testament to the allure and investment potential of sports memorabilia. The Pirates rookie is set to make history with the ongoing auction. However, he is still a while away from the legendary cards that set record-breaking prices. The mountain at whose peak rests the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 and the T206 Honus Wagner cards.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 card is the highest-selling baseball card of all time. Boosted by his legendary status as well as the scarcity stemming from unsold cards reportedly being dumped in the ocean, this card became one of the most sought-after in the world and fetched a whopping $12.6 million. It is the highest-selling card in not just baseball but sports history.

His legendary status and the scarcity stemmed from unsold cards reportedly being dumped in the ocean boosted this card’s value. And made it one of the most sought-after in the world and allowing it to fetch a whopping $12.6 million.

The T206 Honus Wagner card comes right after. Like the Mickey Mantle card, the T206 Honus Wagner’s price comes from it being very rare. Experts estimate that only 50 to 200 cards were ever printed. Many also believe that Wagner, who also played for the Pirates, didn’t want to have his image used to promote tobacco products. Since the American Tobacco Company produced this card between 1909 and 1911, it led to a very limited print run. A well-preserved T206 Honus Wagner sold for $7.25 million in 2021.

Since the beginning of 2024, 29 individual cards have been sold for $500,000, according to Card Ladder’s database. However, only 6 have sold for more than the amount Paul Skenes’ card is priced at currently. The six cards are of Babe Ruth ($1.37 million), LeBron James ($1.2 million), Roberto Clemente ($1.0 million), Victor Wembanyama ($860,100), Allan Iverson ($701,500) and Kobe Bryant ($579,500). Paul Skenes could very likely join, if not surpass them, by the end of the week, but we will have to wait and watch. What do you think the final bid will be?