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The Best Early Cards Of 2023 #1 Overall Pick and Pirates Phenom Paul Skenes

“The best amateur pitching prospects since…” is a statement that will always get the attention of fans and collectors alike. So is “1st overall draft pick”. Both of these have been used extensively to talk about Paul Skenes.

But who is Paul Skenes? And which Skenes cards are worth chasing? And what does the future hold for the young hurler and his cards?

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Who is Paul Skenes?

On July 9th, as the sport prepared for the celebrations that are the Home Run Derby and All Star Game, the MLB Draft got underway. To kick things off, Paul Skenes was taken #1 overall in the 2023 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 21 year old right handed starting pitcher has been called the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg.

The 6’6” hurler has a fastball that touches triple digits, a wipeout slider, and a changeup that has potential to be a plus pitch. He is fresh off leading Louisiana State to the NCAA Championship. Skenes put up an epic season in 2023 with LSU, going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and an NCAA division 1 leading 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings.

Skenes is the first player to win a College World Series, be named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament and go No. 1 overall in the Draft in the same year.

In 2023, Skenes made his pro debut, pitching a scant 6.2 innings over 5 starts across three minor league levels (rookie, A, and AA). In 2024, pitching in AAA despite his lack of big league experience, Skenes dominated in the early going in a league where he was more than 5 years younger than the average player. In his first 7 starts, covering 27.1 IP, he struck out 45 and had a 0.99 ERA.

This led to Paul Skenes getting called up to make his big league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11, 2024.

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Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes baseball cards

Despite pitching less than 40 pro innings, Paul Skenes has already appeared on 1,211 cards, according to the Trading Card Database (TCDB.com).

As you’d expect, many of Skenes early cards are from unlicensed producers like Leaf and Panini. But he also now has some licensed cards, including the sought-after 1st Bowman (FBC).

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Paul Skenes 1st Bowman Cards

Paul Skenes has his 1st Bowman cards, typically a player’s most popular early card, in the 2023 Bowman Draft product.

The base paper 2023 Bowman Draft is unsurprisingly the most affordable of the offerings. PSA has graded over 825 of these, with roughly 59% of those in PSA 10 slabs. In that grade, which is the only you should buy if you can help it, they sell for between $80 and $120.

The 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Paul Skenes card has been graded roughly the same amount by PSA as the base paper, but with a slightly lower 41% Gem Rate. Even though they aren’t rare, these sell strongly in the $115-160 range. This is likely the base card to get if you can get only one.

The 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome card also has a tough Image Variation, with him facing to the right on the card front. PSA has only graded 36 copies of the card, with a scant 5 PSA 10’s. There are no recent comp sales for one, but it’s a tough card.

The 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Autographs is the key early autograph card of Paul Skenes. PSA has already graded 614 copies of the card, with 317 of those in PSA 10 slabs. They are already selling for $500-550, and expect those pop numbers and prices to go north if Skenes does well in the early part of his big league career.

Being ultra-modern Bowman offerings, all of these cards have a rainbow of parallel versions available. These will come at a variety of levels of rarity and price points. If you’re buying to invest, we suggest you grab the rarest parallel or autograph that is within your budget, as they tend to be much lower pop than the base cards.

CardTotal PSA PopRecent Sale PopRecent Sale Price
2023 Bowman Draft Paul Skenes #BD-14827PSA 10 = 487PSA 10 = $80-120
2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Paul Skenes #BDC-14823PSA 10 = 338PSA 10 = $115-160
2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Paul Skenes #BDC-14b VAR36PSA 10 = 5PSA 10 = NA
2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Autographs Paul Skenes #CDA-PS614PSA 10 = 317PSA 10 = $500-550

Paul Skenes Other 2023 Cards

Paul Skenes had some additional early appearances on cards in 2023, just before and around the time of the draft. Unsurprisingly, these early cards were of the unlicensed persuasion. While they don’t hold the wide appeal of the 1st Bowman, they are some interesting early Skenes cards.

The vintage-themed 2023 Onyx Vintage offers a base card, plus autographed versions with a variety of ink colors and ever-shrinking print runs.

2023 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes features two base cards of Paul Skenes, plus a variety of parallels with various print runs. Autographed versions are also available.

In both cases, the base cards are low cost, but the parallels fetch a little more, and the autographs significantly more.

CardRecent Sale Price
2023 Onyx Vintage Paul Skenes #OVPSRAW = $6-8
2023 Onyx Vintage – Green Signatures Paul Skenes AU, PR50 #CAPSRAW = $100
2023 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Paul Skenes #80RAW = $2-4
2023 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Paul Skenes #87RAW = $2-4
2023 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes – Red, White, & Blue Paul Skenes #80RAW = $10-15
2023 Stars & Stripes USA Baseball Paul Skenes Blue Foil Auto Autograph #PSRAW = $80-100

Paul Skenes 2024 Cards

2024 Bowman, which was just released so PSA hasn’t graded any copies as of this writing, contains Paul Skenes in the Prospects part of the checklist.

Right now, the base paper and chrome cards are only selling for $3-5 each raw, although graded they’ll grab a bit more when those start to appear. Skenes has an autograph version of the prospect card as well, which is sure to be a popular card for those looking for a cheaper alternative to the 2023 1st Bowman auto.

CardRecent Sale Price
2024 Bowman Prospects #BP-125 Paul SkenesRAW =$3-4
2024 Bowman Chrome Prospects Paul Skenes #BCP-125RAW = $3-5
2024 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs Paul Skenes #CPA-PSRAW = NA

Paul Skenes 2019 Cards

In 2019, Leaf included Paul Skenes in the 2019 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase product. There are 25 versions of the card, from the Base Common, parallels with a variety of print runs, 1/1 print plates, and autographs, some of which are also 1/1s.

Interesting tidbits on these cards include that they’re from a high-school showcase, that PSA has graded very few of these, and Skenes appears…as a catcher.

That right, in addition to being a world-class pitcher, Skenes caught in high school as a two-way player. While he’s not expected to hit as a pro, it points to a player with impressive athleticism.

In ungraded condition, the base cards are fairly affordable, but the autographs, especially those with low print runs, start to get expensive in a hurry.

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CardRecent Sale Price
2019 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase Base Common Paul Skenes #267RAW = $15-20
2019 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase Auto Paul Skenes #BA-PS1RAW = $135-200
2019 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase Blue Paul Skenes AU, SN15 #BA-PS1RAW = $500

Final thoughts on Paul Skenes rookie cards (early baseball cards)

Paul Skenes is the best pitching prospect in at least a generation, perhaps ever. As he gets his first taste of the big league, demand for his cards are sure to see a bump. Young pitchers are always a risk, but Skenes certainly has the pedigree to make some exciting things happen.

What are your thoughts on 2023 MLB Draft #1 overall pick Paul Skenes? Think he’s the real deal? Are you hoarding his cards? Let us know at card_lines on Twitter.

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More Cardlines top baseball card rookie coverage

Mike D.

Mike D

Mike D. has collected cards for over 35 years, since he bought his first pack of Topps at the corner store in 1987. His fandom,  collecting interests, and contributions to Cardlines center around baseball in general and the Baseball Hall of Fame specifically.

Mike's collecting focus is centered on graded cards, mostly rookie cards, of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Lately, he's been enjoying dabbling in graded minor league cards. A collector/investor with a "buy and hold" approach, Mike takes the long-term view with his collection.
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