Collectibles On SI

Who Cares About The 1/1 MLB Debut Patches?

Believe it or not almost 50% of the MLB debut patches have been pulled out of this years Topps chrome update
Adam Palmer|
Sep 17, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; A view of the MLB Debut patch on the sleeve of Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joe Boyle (35) before the game against the San Diego Padres at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; A view of the MLB Debut patch on the sleeve of Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joe Boyle (35) before the game against the San Diego Padres at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Seems like a lot of people care about these cards because posts all over social media are going extremely viral and cards are being pulled left and right. And just like that, not only has the Elly De La Cruz MLB debut patch been pulled, but it has also been graded and received a PSA 10 with a 10-autograph grade.

Some of these cards, like the Cruz one, can be found directly in products that breakers are opening called Breakers Delight. Other cards are distributed as redemptions within the products to ensure the card quality remains intact. Topps has not yet released information on which cards are included as redemptions and which are packed directly.

Within just a few days of this card being pulled, it was already graded and here’s a video of the breaker pulling the card earlier this week.

Something to keep in mind is that people appear to be printing unofficial versions of the Paul Skenes card. This is not something that is uncommon with it also happening with other cards in the past that a lot of people are looking for. A good rule of thumb in the sports card industry is that if a deal looks too good to be true if you are buying a card, then it probably is and could be a scam.

While most are doing it as a joke, be cautious if you see this card online, as it has not yet been officially pulled. The Pirates' offer of 30 years of season tickets for the card went viral, with posts about it garnering over 20 million views. Unsurprisingly, people are trying to capitalize on the card's popularity.

This Twitter user has done an excellent job tracking how many of these cards have been pulled. Their post includes the full checklist, details of who pulled the card, and when it was pulled.

Surprisingly—or perhaps not—almost 100 of the patch cards have already been pulled. With 252 players on the checklist, this means nearly 40% of the patch cards were claimed within the first week of the product’s release.

During the first week, Topps offered $1,000 in Fanatics Live credit for any patches pulled on the Fanatics Live platform. The credit was split evenly: $500 for the customer who pulled the card and $500 for a random viewer of the stream.

This promotion ended on the 20th, as Topps limited the offer to the first 50 patches pulled on the platform. As we see more of these cards being pulled, expect a lot of them to be graded. It will be interesting to see which cards get PSA 10s and which get lower grades.

Published | Modified
Adam Palmer
ADAM PALMER

Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.

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