Up North: One of a kind baseball card sparks nationwide search
Flipping through baseball cards is a hobby that many people have, but what would someone do if a multimillion dollar card fell into their lap?
Paul Skenes, the newly named National League Rookie of the Year, had a special season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
So much so that Topps, the card company, created just one card in the world, which features the jersey patch from Skenes debut.
While he’s a Pirate, the demand for the card in the Northland has skyrocketed.
“We only got a few boxes in. So they sold really dang fast, people trying to get it,” said Nikolas White, en employee at Collector’s Connection in the Miller Hill Mall.
The Pittsburgh Pirates want the card just as bad as anyone, offering 30 years of season tickets behind home plate, 2 autographed jerseys, and much, much more.
But the price of selling the card may be invaluable.
“I think it could go probably close to a few million bucks maybe,” said White. “I’m not an expert on that just because it is a one of one. So whoever pulls it basically controls the price on it.”
That number may be shocking. But with a bright future, he’s a well known player for most sports fans. However, not everyone knew of Skenes when asked.
So, what would the decision be for those in the northland, about 950 miles away from Pittsburgh? Keep and get benefits, or sell?
“That’s a good question, probably sell it. Yeah, maybe sell it.”
“I would take it because as we know, time kind of brings more value to things. So I would probably keep the card,” said a shopper named Latavia.
“Me personally, I think I’d keep it. I’m a brewers fan, so I think I wouldn’t really want to go to a Pirates game. Maybe work someone out and probably sell it in the future,” said Jenner Graff.
“If I’m going to keep the card, I’m going to definitely have to move to Pittsburgh and might live with that,” added Graff’s friend, Curtis.
The card has yet to be found, but when it is, it will present quite the question.