A unique autographed baseball card featuring rookie player Nick Kurtz has been sold for a remarkable $516,000 through Fanatics Collect’s January Premier auction, marking it as the second most expensive card in the exclusive Topps MLB Debut Patch set. This sale occurred early on Friday morning and comes just behind the record set by Paul Skenes, whose card sold for $1.11 million last year.
Kurtz’s card, part of the 2025 Topps Chrome Update collection, has set a new benchmark for the player’s memorabilia, surpassing the previous second-highest sale, which belonged to Jackson Holliday at $198,000. Reflecting on the sale, Kurtz humorously recalled his initial prediction that the card would be worth “a couple hundred bucks” when he first signed it.
The MLB Debut Patch cards were introduced in 2023 as a way to commemorate players’ first Major League games. Each player wears the patch on their jersey sleeve during their debut, after which it is authenticated and transformed into a one-of-a-kind card, signed by the player. The latest installment, including Kurtz’s card, showcases the growing interest in collectible sports memorabilia.
The sale of Kurtz’s card outshone his previous record, which was held by another one-of-one autographed card from the same series that sold for $86,620 just a month prior through Goldin. The demand for MLB Debut Patch cards appears to be on the rise, as evidenced by the recent sales of cards belonging to other players. For instance, Marcelo Mayer of the Boston Red Sox saw his card fetch $54,000, while Luisangel Acuña, recently traded from the New York Mets to the Chicago White Sox, had his card sold for $30,000.
The top sales for MLB Debut Patch cards illustrate the growing market for sports collectibles. According to data from Card Ladder, a leading online card sales database, Kurtz’s sale ranks among the top ten public sales for this specific insert set. As the popularity of baseball cards continues to soar, collectors are eager to acquire unique pieces that capture pivotal moments in the sport’s history.
With the auction landscape becoming increasingly competitive, the interest in rookie cards like Kurtz’s demonstrates the intersection of sports and investment, as fans and collectors alike seek to own a piece of baseball history.