The golden ticket has been found.
Paul Skenes’ 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch—which has been the holy grail for baseball card collectors since 2024 Topps Chrome Update was released in November—has been pulled by an 11-year-old collector in Los Angeles, according to Topps.
The identity of the collector is not yet publicly known.
Also not known so far: the fate of the card itself. Just days after Chrome Update was released, the Pirates placed a massive bounty on the card, and auction sites have said that the card could fetch in the high six figures or even more than a million dollars at auction.
The announcements led to a worldwide hunt for the card, which features the game-worn “Debut” patch that Skenes wore during his MLB debut last May.
As recently as last week, Mega Boxes of Topps Chrome Update were selling for more than $100 (they has originally retailed at $50), and Breakers Delight Boxes, which originally sold in the $400 range, were selling for north of $1,000.
But the Skenes patch being found won’t end the Debut Patch hunt. There are many high-profile Debut Patches still yet to be found, including those of Jackson Merrill, Evan Carter and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
