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The Pittsburgh Pirates are offering a massive reward for one lucky fan who happens to find an extremely rare Paul Skenes Topps Chrome autograph card. And Skenes’ girlfriend Olivia Dunne is joining in too.
The trading card company posted on X a first look on Friday of a very special, one-of-one Paul Skenes autograph card. Released as part of its Topps Chrome Update series on November 13, the card displays the “MLB Debut” patch Skenes wore on his jersey for his first start on May 11, along with his signature.
It doesn’t get more rare, and considering how Skenes started his career, it’s sure to become extremely valuable. But the Pirates organization wants it for themselves, and they’re willing to pay up for it.
The team’s official account on X posted Friday morning that it would make a big offer to the fan who gets it. “To the lucky person who finds this card…We’d love to bring this card home to PNC Park to share with all Buccos fans. Here’s our offer:”
- Two season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years
- A softball game for 30 friends at PNC Park + coaching from Pirates alumni
- Private Tour of Pirates City and LECOM Park at Spring Training
- Meet and greet with Paul Skenes at Spring Training
- Two autographed Skenes jerseys
- Take batting practice and warm up with the team this coming spring
- And other “unique experiences” while visiting their Florida complex
Not bad! And after seeing the Pirates’ post, Livvy Dunne upped the ante.
Olivia Dunne Joins The Pirates In Offering Reward For Skenes’ Card
On her X account, Dunne posted “Let’s raise the stakes…the person who finds the card can sit with me at a Pirates game in my suite.”
So whoever finds this card would get the Pirates offer, AND a baseball game in a suite with Livvy Dunne. Not too shabby! Or is it?
This card, assuming Skenes has the career it looks like he’ll have, should be extremely valuable. And the Pirates’ offer, while possibly financially equivalent, if not more so, is most appealing for a diehard Pirates fan. Or someone who lives within driving distance of Pittsburgh.
If someone opens a Topps Chrome pack in say, Washington state or Arizona or Texas, how useful are season tickets to Pirates games? Yes, the experience of hosting a softball game at a big league park would be great, but paying for you, and 30 others, to travel to Pittsburgh, might eat up that benefit. Same with going to Florida for spring training.
And while Olivia Dunne seems like a lovely person, what if, by some off chance, the card is found by a 50-year-old woman? Would that hypothetical woman care about sitting with her in a suite for a Pirates game, compared to the financial value of a 1/1 Skenes autographed card?
If the card happens to find its way to the Pittsburgh area, and is opened by an 18-30 year old man, all of these offers might be tempting. But otherwise, the Pirates, and Dunne, might be fighting an uphill battle to get it back. Best of luck to everyone rushing out to buy packs of Topps Chrome Update cards though.