Imagine being just 11 years old, pulling out a card, and finding one that can take your collection up ten notches—possibly your bank account too. Well, this is what happened to a lucky kid in Los Angeles. He snagged the much coveted 1 of 1 Paul Skenes debut patch autograph card. It’s such a rare find that even Skenes himself, along with collectors and even Topps, have been buzzing about it since November.

But why? Well, Paul Skenes has had a stellar rookie season. As the NL Rookie of the Year, the Pittsburgh Pirates star posted an 11-3 record and a league-best 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts. He cemented his place as one of baseball’s brightest young stars with his rookie cards flying off the shelves. However, this particular card is the boss of them all—it takes the crow.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, meanwhile, have a lot to offer to anyone who found the card. 30 years of second tickets behind the home plate, a private softball game with the team alumni, and a VIP spring training experience. The list doesn’t end there; there is something even sweeter!

They are also offering a meet and greet with Paul Skenes and giving away two autographed jerseys. But this isn’t the only offer on board, as someone special to Paul himself made a surprise offer. His girlfriend, LSU gymnast, and social media star Livvy Dunne, is letting the kid watch the game in a luxury suite.

It’s a deal anyone would jump on. The twist? These are all something that an 11-year-old probably won’t have much use for. So don’t be surprised if the bidding wars among collectors start soon. For Paul Skenes, though, who finished third in NL Cy Young voting in 2024, his future looks bright as his rookie card demand sores.

Jealousy hits fans, as LA kid snags rare 1/1 Paul Skenes card

A rather jealous user on Reddit said, “LA GETS EVERYTHING! Good for the kid.” Well, this isn’t just any card, right? This card is a 1/1 Paul Skenes rookie debut patch card. It was part of the Topps 2024 Chrome update set, released in November. Everyone was on the lookout for it. And as far as the LA comment goes, almost all teams have deemed LA the ‘evil empire.’ So there is nothing new there!

Someone even commented on the 11-year-old kid, “Let’s be real: a kid pulling it is way more likely to be from a rich family than an adult who invests in his own hobby.” Well, a kid cannot, of course, afford it, and the parents must have got it for him. Now, as per sources, the cheapest way to snag the card is through the $50 Mega Boxes. But then they are impossible to get at retail price. So yes, they might have brought the expensive hobby boxes or even paid resale markups to get it. One will never know!

One snarky comment by an LA Dodger fan, (pun intended), said, “Just defer the money until he turns 18.” Well, given the child is from LA and right now people are sensitive about how the Dodgers are operating, this comment makes sense. Much of the lineup’s contracts are deferred, like Shohei Ohtani’s or Freddie Freeman’s. And they have not stopped deferring contracts and getting key players even now. So basically the rich getting richer is pocking many.

Another Reddit user said, “OK, now this is starting to get ridiculous. I’m starting to hate LA 😂.” Well, he won’t be alone. After the LA Dodgers got Roki Sasaki, all eyes were on them. They even had teams complain and an investigation took place because of a suspected handshake deal with the Japanese phenom. Nothing was found, but the other teams are not really fond of this growing dynasty. Especially not the Yankees (maybe), who were known to wear that crown!

The grim picture painted by a fan saying, “Imagine being that kid hoping Skenes goes on to be an all-time phenom and doesn’t blow out his elbow next season and become a what could have been story. Literally hundreds of ks riding on it, hahaha.” Well, baseball is something erratic, so no one knows what happens. Look at Mike Trout and his career trajectory. Once deemed as the best, he couldn’t play full seasons for years because of injury.

Right now for the kid, the best thing, though even the scale of popularity Paul Skenes is in now, should reap the awards. What do you think?