Nick Kurtz 2025 Topps Rookie Debut Patch card sells for $516k: 2nd highest ever
In this story:
The 1990s Nike ad famously posited that chicks dig the longball. Not sure if that logic actually withstands scrutiny, but collectors pretty clearly do dig the longball. Consider the case of American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. The slugging star known as "Big Amish" has seen his cards skyrocket off a 36-home run 2025 campaign.
The latest Kurtz card value story might be the wildest of all. His 2025 Topps Chrome Update Rookie Debut patch, which was pulled last month, just sold for the second highest-price in the history of the Rookie Debut patch series (trailing only the legend that is Paul Skenes).
🚨 JUST IN 🚨
— Fanatics Collect (@FanaticsCollect) January 9, 2026
The best Nick Kurtz card in existence just went on sale in our auction.
Current bid: $1,025
Where do YOU think this card will end at? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0fy7Za8TPV
The $516,000 Sale
On Fanatics Collect's January Premier Auction, the Kurtz Rookie Debut patch sold for a whopping $430,000 base price. When the $86,000 buyer's premium is factored in, Kurtz's card becomes just the second Rookie Debut patch to eclipse the half-million dollar range.
Yes, the Paul Skenes patch still holds the bragging rights overall, with the $1.1 million sale unlikely to be eclipsed anytime soon. But Kurtz made a nice push, easily eclipsing the previous No. 2 in the Rookie Debut patch sweepstakes, the Jackson Holliday that sold for $198,000. Again, the Kurtz price nearly triples that of the Holliday.
There's not a ton of detail surrounding the sale. The half-million dollar Kurtz card was pulled in a Whatnot break held by Throne Sports Cards, and both the collector and the auction buyer remain unknown. The 1-of-1 card with an autograph and a patch from Kurtz's MLB debut jersey is typical of the aesthetically pleasing Rookie Debut patch set that Topps started as an annual tradition in 2023 Chrome Update.
Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz signs his 1-of-1 MLB Debut Patch Autograph! Look for it in packs of Topps Chrome Update today 👀 pic.twitter.com/mJuIRi33YV
— Topps (@Topps) December 10, 2025
Kurtz's Place Among Rookie Debut Patch Stars
While Skenes holds the overall lead, Kurtz's place among the 2025 Debut Patch class looks secure. The current second place is Marcelo Mayer's card, which sold for $54,000 in the same auction as Kurtz's card. Of course, many of the 2025 patches are still unseen-- with James Wood being the likely biggest value hit left.
While it's still far, far away, the 2026 Topps Chrome Update rookie class looks to be strong. The cards of Roman Anthony and Jac Caglianone among others should fetch a pretty penny. But it'll take plenty of pennies to outshine Nick Kurtz and his half-million dollar plus card.
Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.