Collectibles On SI

Hundreds of Thousands Snag RARE Ohtani 50-50 Card

Jason Schwartz

Sep 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with manager Dave Roberts (30) after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
Sep 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with manager Dave Roberts (30) after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After much anticipation from the collecting world, the final tally came in. As expected, it was not at all a small number.

The Topps NOW card commemorating Shohei Ohtani's historic 50-50 season sold 653,737 copies. Just how many is that? For one thing, it's the highest print run in the history of the Topps NOW franchise. For another, it's more than 150 times the sales of the set's previous card, featuring Brewers rookie sensation Jackson Chourio.

Though nearly all collectors expected a massive print run, it's safe to say 600,000+ was still a staggeringly high total. Here is Hobby veteran "Those Back Pages," for example.

Historic. Incredible. Unprecedented. These are all words collectors might use to describe the card. A word they wouldn't use is RARE! At the same time, some of us remember the 1980s and 1990s, affectionately known as the "Junk Wax Era." Case in point: 1989 Upper Deck, the set with the famous Ken Griffey, Jr., rookie card.

1989 Upper Deck complete set
1989 Upper Deck complete set / Author's personal collection

By some estimates, the print run for 1989 Upper Deck was approximately one million of each card (and north of that for the Griffey, if you believe the stories)! More than likely, the print runs for the Topps, Fleer, and Donruss sets that year were even higher. In other words, transport the Topps NOW Ohtani back to 1989 and it would be a veritable short print, in other words, a rarity!

Of course, most collectors do NOT see the Ohtani card as a rarity. They compare it to a different Griffey card, the oft-memed "Keith Shore" Griffey that sold nearly 100,000 four years ago and became instantly worthless.

However, there are several important differences between the Topps NOW Ohtani and the Keith Shore Griffey.

  • The Ohtani is a great looking card reflecting an amazing feat. Meanwhile, the Griffey card is easily the ugliest card in any collection that doesn't already include other cards the same artist created that year.
  • Collectors paid $20 for the Griffey and barely half that for Ohtani.
  • Collectors bought Griffey hoping hardly anyone else would buy it. Collectors bought the Ohtani knowing a record number of collectors would also buy it.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani
Sep 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a home run during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Either way, the one thing we know for sure is that the Topps NOW Ohtani will never be the most valuable "collectible" associated with Ohtani's historic 50-50 season. The most valuable keepsake of them all, though it's one you can't buy, sell, or trade, will always be your memories of his utterly ridiculous season, one we may never see equaled. In other words, in the parlance of the Hobby--like Shohei himself--a true one of one!

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Jason Schwartz

JASON SCHWARTZ

Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.

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