Cam Booser’s journey to the major leagues was filled with challenges, including arm and back injuries, and even a period of working as a carpenter back in Seattle. His path to the big leagues was unconventional, and he wanted a special memento to mark his debut—a unique baseball card featuring a patch from the jersey he wore during his first game.
His older sister, Kelsey, was determined to help him get that card.
After collaborating with the Neighborhood Card Shop in California for about a month, Kelsey managed to surprise her brother with the rare card as a Christmas gift.
“That was one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had,” Cam Booser, now a reliever who was traded from the Red Sox to the White Sox in December, said of the gift.
Topps’ debut patch cards, which are signed and contain a piece of fabric from a player’s jersey worn during their first MLB game, have gained popularity among both young major league players—some of whom previously had little interest in baseball cards—and seasoned collectors. These special cards are also featured in this year’s MLB The Show video game.
The excitement surrounding the release of Paul Skenes’ card in November only added to the growing buzz. Dominic Canzone’s mother was able to secure his card for him, while Chandler Seagle’s father gave his son the card as a gift. Joey Loperfido, an outfielder who debuted in the major leagues last year, wrote “DM me” on the back of his card and offered an invitation to Thanksgiving in return for the memento — and successfully got it back.
“I think it represents a lifetime of hard work right in front of you,” Booser said.
The debut patch cards are part of the Topps Chrome Update series. Fanatics, the company that owns Topps, launched a Major League Soccer version in December and plans to expand the card concept into other sports in the future.
Some of the patch cards are included directly in Chrome Update packs, while many others are distributed through redemption codes. After claiming the card, Topps ships the one-of-a-kind item in a protective case to maintain its condition.
In 2023, there were 91 debut patch cards, and that number grew to 251 last year. Some highly sought-after cards, like those of Jackson Merrill and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have yet to be revealed to the public.
Clay Luraschi, Topps’ head of product development, explained, “This is a completely different approach to the traditional relic card. We wanted to collaborate with Major League Baseball to create something unique for our trading cards, instead of just taking a piece of a jersey that was already used and turning it into a card.”
Before the season begins, patches are sent to major league equipment managers. When a player makes his debut, the patch is added to a sleeve on his jersey, then removed after the game. It’s authenticated before being sent back to Topps.
“I’m not a collector, never have been,” said Skenes. “But I can understand how it’s cool for kids to feel that connection. Hopefully, it gives them some hope and a sense of closeness to the majors because we were all those kids once.”
The debut patch cards for Skenes, a hard-throwing right-hander who won the NL Rookie of the Year award with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Jackson Holliday are part of a Fanatics Collect auction this month. In December, Junior Caminero’s card fetched $66,000 in a Fanatics auction.
Skenes’ card generated significant attention before an 11-year-old boy in Southern California redeemed it on Christmas morning. In November, the Pirates had offered a package for the card that included two season tickets for 30 years, but the boy’s family chose to go the auction route instead.
The card was redeemed on January 3, and Topps confirmed its discovery on January 21. On January 4, Topps posted on X that the Skenes card had not yet been publicly revealed, and on January 8, they shared a video of Skenes discussing the card on Instagram, along with a playful caption asking, “Are you accepting the Pirates’ offer if you pull this card?”
The 18-day gap between the redemption and Topps’ announcement sparked some criticism from collectors who believed the delay was intentional to boost sales. A Fanatics Collectibles spokesperson cited various reasons for the timing, including the holidays, protecting the family’s privacy, and the impact of the LA wildfires. The company also explained that the social media posts were delayed due to the time it took for news of the card’s discovery to reach the larger organization.
A man from Massachusetts discovered a redemption for Loperfido’s card and reached out to the outfielder through social media. He then drove the card to Loperfido’s home in New Jersey.
Loperfido, who was traded from Houston to Toronto in July, reimbursed the man for his travel expenses and also gave him a bat, a jersey, and tickets with VIP passes to a Blue Jays game in Boston. Since the card hadn’t been pulled yet, the Thanksgiving invitation was not part of the deal.
Loperfido, 25, plans to raffle off the card to raise funds for a nonprofit organization he volunteered with during college.
“It represents an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime moment for players in their careers — their first MLB game,” Loperfido said. “I think it’s special… People are eager for these cards. Players coming up in the league, like Paul Skenes, are great talents, and these cards will likely be worth a lot in the future.”