What do you get when a viral gymnast, a red-hot MLB rookie, and a once-in-a-lifetime baseball card collide? A story that’s as much about heart as it is about hype. In June 2025, Olivia Dunne, a gymnast, influencer, and girlfriend of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, quietly made waves when she spent $2,850 on a rare 2024 Bowman’s Best anime-style rookie card of Skenes.
Graded a PSA 10 and one of just five in existence, the card was purchased at Fanatics Fest in New York, giving Dunne a stylish way to back her boyfriend while stepping into the collectibles world herself. But while Livvy was making headlines for her sweet gesture, a much bigger storm was swirling in the same universe.
Just days earlier, a 1-of-1 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card of Skenes sold at auction for a staggering $1.11 million. It will be displayed at Dick’s House of Sport store in Pittsburgh’s Ross Park Mall. The card includes a patch from Skenes’ actual jersey worn during his Major League debut, along with his signature—a concept introduced by Topps just a season earlier.
Credit: X/LSU Tigers’ Gymnastics
The sale broke records, becoming the most expensive modern-day baseball card ever sold. Behind that card was an incredible twist: it had been pulled by an 11-year-old Dodgers fan from a single pack of cards he received for Christmas. Soon after the redemption was revealed, the offers poured in, season tickets, VIP perks, even an invite from Olivia Dunne and a shout from Seth Meyers. But the family shocked everyone and turned it all down. Why? That’s where the story gets even better.
11-Year-Old Boy Turns Down Olivia Dunne’s VIP Invite
The one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch autograph card was pulled by an 11-year-old in Los Angeles after his family bought a $320 Topps Chrome Update hobby box on StockX, his only Christmas gift. His father was “stupefied… then slack‑jawed,” and when the boy finally realized what he’d found, he exclaimed to his dad, “I thought it would go to some big breaker… ‘Dad, I pulled the Paul Skenes.’ And he was like, ‘No you didn’t.’” In his journal, the boy simply wrote: “My brain pooped.” As he opened the pack, the boy thought it was too good to be true. The family soon found themselves at the center of a collectibles frenzy.
The Pittsburgh Pirates offered 30 years of season tickets, spring training tours, two signed jerseys, and a private meet-and-greet with Skenes. Olivia Dunne, Skenes’ girlfriend and social media star, also joined in, offered to host the cardholder in her private suite at a Pirates game. Even Seth Meyers offered a VIP experience just to see the card. But the family declined all offers. They wanted to stay anonymous, especially after being evacuated multiple times during the Southern California wildfires, and didn’t feel comfortable flaunting the card publicly.
“It’s been a really hard time in the community,” the boy’s mother said. Instead, the family partnered with Fanatics Collect to auction the card. “They spent a few hundred bucks on a Christmas gift—and now they’re funding futures,” said Fanatics exec Kevin Lenane, who personally flew the card to the family. The boy immediately chose to split the money with his brother and put it toward their college funds, telling his parents, “Let’s share it,” within seconds of pulling the card.
So: one Olivia Dunne’s $2.8K keepsake, one kid’s million-dollar college plan, and a retailer turning a patch of cloth into foot traffic. Baseball cards? Still the best soap opera in sports.
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