(NEXSTAR) — Baseball card collecting isn’t a new hobby. They, and other bits of sports memorabilia, have been hot collector’s items in recent years with some fetching millions of dollars at auction. 

Now, even a Major League Baseball team is hoping to scoop up a very specific, very rare card.

Earlier this month, Topps released its 2024 Chrome Update Series, which features unique cards for some of MLB’s hottest rookies. They contain the MLB Debut Patch which appeared on each rookie’s jersey during their first major league game — a tradition launched last year by Fanatics, which owns Topps — as well as their autograph. 

You can see the ‘MLB Debut’ patch, just above the Pittsburgh Pirates logo, on the sleeve of starting pitcher Paul Skenes. He made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

While the autograph has been part of Topps’ rookie cards for decades, the addition of the patch is new. It’s meant to help build “a real connection” to the moment that the player joined the MLB, Topps Senior Vice President of Product Clay Luraschi told The Athletic.

There are many such rookie cards being released with the Topps series, including those for Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio, San Diego center fielder Jackson Merrill, Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser, and New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells. All four were Rookie of the Year nominees in their respective leagues. The National League Rookie of the Year, Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes, also has a card sporting his debut patch and autograph up for grabs. 

As one of the most highly-touted rookies the MLB has seen, it’s no surprise that collectors are coveting Skenes’ card, but a handful of bounties are seemingly upping the price.

The Pirates themselves have offered a massive trade for whoever finds Skenes’ card. 

“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,” the team wrote on Instagram last week, sharing the full details of their deal: 

  • Two Pirates season tickets to sit behind home plate for the next 30 years
  • A softball game for 30 at PNC Park with coaching from “Pirates Alumni”
  • A Spring Training experience that includes a meet and greet with Skenes, two autographed Skenes jerseys, a tour of the team’s Spring Training facility, batting practice and warm up with the team, “and other unique experiences”

Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne, added to the deal, responding to an Instagram post about Pittsburgh’s offer, “Let’s raise the stakes…the person who finds the card can sit with me at a Pirates game in my suite.”

When asked about his reaction to the offer (that made by his team, not Dunne), Skenes jokingly told ESPN’s SportsCenter he was “really upset I didn’t find the card.”

Pittsburgh gave him the opportunity to find it, inviting him to open a pack of the coveted Topps cards in a video posted to Instagram. Despite finding a card for his teammate, Aroldis Chapman, and a signed card from Yankees outfielder Everson Pereira, his search for himself was unsuccessful.

Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, did tell SportsCenter he is looking forward to whoever pulls the card.

A spokesperson for Fanatics, which owns Topps, said the collectibles company was surprised itself when the Pirates put out an all-call for the card. The company hadn’t experienced any treasure hunts such as this since the jersey-patched rookie cards were rolled out in 2023, public relations manager Ryan Stolz said.

The Pirates aren’t the only ones offering up a deal. A San Antonio, Texas, sports card shop posted its own “bounty offer,” with items including an opened container of ice cream and $23.78 in cash. 

Comedian and late-night TV host Seth Meyers doesn’t even want the card, he just wants to see it. The noted Pirates fan said last week that he would offer the lucky cardholder VIP tickets to attend a taping of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” if he can “LOOK at it for a SECOND.”

If you find the card, and none of those offers are rich enough for you, you could always try the sports collectors market. Last month, a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani that made him the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases sold for an eye-watering $3.6 million, which came out to a final price of $4.39 million with the buyer’s premium. 

The Associated Press and KTLA’s Will Conybeare contributed to this report.