Ohtani one of one Topps Now card could set record!
Everyone knows Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball right now, but this season he is putting up video game, easy-mode type numbers. Fans were amazed when he stole his 40th base and hit his 40th home run, and Ohtani said, 'You think thatโs crazy? Then watch this.' A few weeks later, he went out and hit his 50th home run and stole his 50th base, becoming the first player in MLB history to reach those milestones in the same season.
As both a pitcher and a hitter, Ohtani has been breaking records previously held by Babe Ruth. Heโs been spotted in the bullpen in the past few weeks, but as a fan, itโs almost more fun to watch him just as a hitter than as both a hitter and a pitcher.
After becoming the only player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, Topps released his Topps Now card, with a chance to get a 1/1 autograph on it.
The FIRST to ever do itโฆ50/50 for the one and only Shohei Ohtani!! ๐ฅ
โ Topps (@Topps) September 20, 2024
Someone who buys the Topps Now base card from Ohtaniโs historic night will receive this 1/1 inscribed autograph card! pic.twitter.com/qtze0tTXpJ
Topps had to issue a statement extending the window for customers to buy these cards by two hours because of the overwhelming traffic on the site. Just trying to estimate the print run on this: his 40/40 card had a print run of over 150,000, and the LeBron/Curry/KD triple card had a print run of over 588,000.
The Team ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น card featuring LeBron, Curry, and Durant broke the ๐ง๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ print run record with 588,030 copies sold. pic.twitter.com/PUxgIcuCB2
โ Press Pass Breaks (@presspassbreaks) August 16, 2024
It may not surpass 588,000 because Topps also released a Steph Curry and Messi card this week with a 1/1 autograph available, but it wouldn't be surprising to see this card in the 500,000 range.
At the start of the season, Ohtani's first Dodgers card had around 100,000 printed, showing the strong demand for him. That demand could either drive the number up, or, with the release of the Curry and Messi cards, people might be choosing between them.
Ultimately, the question comes down to what Topps' plan is with these lottery-ticket releases. It was estimated that they made between $4 million and $7 million on the LeBron/Curry/KD card. It will always depend on the players they choose for these cards.
Topps has been releasing 1/1 autographs on Topps Now cards for a while, but it seems that recently, people have started paying more attention to these releases. For years, the product was an afterthought for most collectors.
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.