Card shops can't keep up with demand for rare Paul Skenes rookie card

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Willy Wonka had the golden tickets, and the Pirates have the one-of-one Paul Skenes card. 

People are calling and flocking to sports cards and memorabilia stores looking for this one-of-a-kind card, especially after the Pirates put out their offer of season tickets for 30 years in exchange for the card.

The phone has been ringing off the hook for the last three days for Jeff Patton of the Baseball Card Castle in Cranberry. He is getting hundreds of calls a day about packs of Topps Cards. Everyone is looking for the Skenes card.

"If I had another 200 boxes today, I could get rid of them with no problem," Patton said on Monday.

Patton says this line of cards started last week and has been selling fast. But he said once the Pirates' offer came out, they couldn't sell any faster.

There's so much demand for the cards that it's to the point where Patton has a waiting list for Tuesday. He is already planning out Wednesday's order.

"Every day we get them. We pay to have them overnighted and get as many more as we can. By the next day, they are gone again," Patton said.

There's no guarantee the card is even in this area. It could be anywhere in the country or the world.

"He's our guy. So, I think our patrons are buying them at a more precipitous pace than anywhere else in the country," Patton said.

Calls are coming in from around the country to the Cranberry store. Patton has parents and grandparents gobbling up packs to give as Christmas gifts. He would love to see one of his customers unwrap the illustrious card.

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