Fanatics Controls the Narrative of the Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch Card

In case you haven't heard, the Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch card has been pulled, redeemed, and graded. It was, without a doubt, the biggest card of 2024. Everything about the pull seemed like it came out of a fairytale - except for some of the trading card community's reaction to it.

Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch Auto 1/1 Card Goes to Auction

Topps announced on January 21st that the card had been pulled by an 11-year-old in Los Angeles, of all places and on Christmas Day! The news sent everyone into a frenzy. They wanted to know more. Who was the kid? What shop did he buy it from? What will he be doing with the card?

Journal of 11-year old Who Pulled Skenes 1/1 Patch Made Public

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: The Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card has been pulled by an 11-year-old collector from Los Angeles, CA. pic.twitter.com/tYZe5KuqM2
— Topps (@Topps) January 21, 2025

2025 Topps Baseball: What The Hobby Can Expect As Paul Skenes Enters His 2nd Year

Topps didn't divulge many details except that the 11-year-old pulled the card from just one hobby box. A few days passed when Topps announced the family would not accept the Pittsburgh Pirates' offer of 30 years' worth of season tickets and that the card had graded a Gem Mint 10 by PSA. The next day, Fanatics, aka Topps, announced that Fanatics Collect would auction it.

JUST IN 🚨 The 11-year-old collector & his family have decided to sell the Paul Skenes 1/1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card at auction.

Fanatics Collect is honored to usher this iconic Topps MLB collectible into the next chapter of its journey. The card will be available in our… pic.twitter.com/2OWspuHwUP
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) January 24, 2025

Just about everything the public knew about the Skenes card came from Topps. There was angst to know more about when the card was found, how it was redeemed, and how long Topps had known about it. Then, the ultra-modern period's most famous "hobby journal" dropped. It was the story (definitely not a journal), written by the boy, of how the pull of a lifetime came to be. We also got to read the iconic line: "Then my brain pooped...."

The 11-year-old collector who pulled the Paul Skenes 1/1 Debut Patch card just shared his journal entries…

It’s an absolute MUST-READ 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/PldkJMS06W
— Topps (@Topps) January 24, 2025

The hobby popped up with conspiracy theories. Every theory was out on social media, ranging from how the journal was not written by an 11-year-old to how Topps staged everything. Some people demanded to see pictures of the kid with the card (not a good look). Understandably, the family chose anonymity to protect their child.

One of the biggest consequences of today's collecting climate is that Fanatics is becoming all-encompassing - and it will only become more so with licenses from the NBA and NFL. At times, Fanatics can control the narrative. It is the card manufacturer and brand spokesman through Topps, the seller through Fanatics Live, and the middle man through Fanatics Collect. All that's missing is the grading component, which the company has worked on by partnering with PSA.

In this situation, the dispersal of information from just one source made the "Hobby" lose its mind. We were getting fed information from Topps - and Topps only - when we are used to getting it directly from the source via independent social media channels and outlets. Everyone, in a frenzy, wanted more.

Topps would only provide a couple of pages written by a child, as it should have to protect their identity. The company did the right thing but also showed how much of the messaging it can control.