Collectibles On SI

Are Shohei Ohtani's Cards priced too low?

Ohtani has been on a generational run since starting his career in the MLB but his cards high end cards seem to be lagging behind in terms of prices.

Adam Palmer

Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates in the locker room after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 31, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates in the locker room after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in game four to win the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Since 2020, the number of million-dollar sports card sales has increased dramatically, though this trend has cooled off in 2023 and 2024. NFL and NBA players make up the majority of million-dollar sales, while only a handful of baseball players have reached this milestone.

Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, Mike Trout, Satchel Paige, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, and Honus Wagner are the only baseball players with cards selling for over a million dollars.

One player not yet on this list but with potential to join soon is Shohei Ohtani.

In the history of sports cards, record-breaking sales of a card often lead to increased demand and further sales for that player or card, as people are drawn by the high price tags.

Before 2024, Ohtani’s record card sale was his #3/5 Bowman Chrome Autograph from 2018 Bowman Baseball, which sold four times between December 2021 and May 2023. The card’s sale history mentions it was through Fanatics Collect, though at the time, it was still PWCC, before Fanatics acquired and rebranded PWCC. The story behind that card is a tale for another day.

This year alone, two new sales have set records for Ohtani’s most expensive card, although neither has yet reached the million-dollar mark.

In September, Fanatics partnered with Sotheby’s for a major auction that featured some of the biggest cards in the industry. One notable sale was a 1/1 2018 Topps Chrome Sapphire Rookie Superfractor Auto, which sold for $336,000.

This was his highest sale until this past weekend, when a BGS 10 Black Label 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor sold for $533,140.

Many sports fans know that Ohtani had an extensive career in Japan before coming to play in the MLB. His cards date back to 2013, though his first MLB cards were released in 2018.

In his 2018 rookie year, Ohtani had a total of 2,945 cards (According to Trading Card Database). This large number may be one reason why some of his cards haven’t reached higher sale prices: collectors have plenty of options. The recent BGS Black Label card, however, is rare specifically because of its high grade. There are also numerous 1/1 cards available for collectors interested in exclusivity.

Will Ohtani secure a million-dollar sale this offseason? Based on current market trends, it seems likely. Which card will achieve this milestone remains to be seen, given the wide variety he has available.

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Adam Palmer
ADAM PALMER

Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.

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