Shohei Ohtani's Card Dominance Continues at Auctions
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Two recent auctions, one at Fanatics Collect and one at Goldin Auctions, served as platforms on which The Hobby saw a show of force that demonstrates once again the incredible strength and desirability of Shohei Ohtani cards. From April 1 to April 24, registered two Ohtani sales of more than $30,000 ($32,000 and $35,000). In April 25 and 26 alone, six sales of more than $50,000, including two six-figure sales and another at $96,000. Let's take a look at the best and biggest from the two auctions, that remind us that for now, Shohei Ohtani is on top of The Hobby.
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At the top of the list, was an Ohtani 2018 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor RC Auto/25. This PSA 10 version of the card fetched $234,000. The most recent sale of a PSA 10, per Card Ladder, came back in 2023, for $84,000. The card sold in September 2020 for just over $10,000.
A PSA 10 2018 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Auto /50 sold for $138,000. This is the second-highest sale of a PSA 10 per Card Ladder. The top sale of $204,000 came on March 21.
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Over at Goldin, a BGS 9.5 2018 Topps Transcendent Japan '17 Bowman Chrome Auto /17 sold for over $79,000.
A 2022 Bowman Transcendent '89 Bowman Autographs SuperFractor 1/1 Signed in Kanji sold for just under $70,000.
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The top sale of a recent Ohtani offering came with a PSA 10 2024 Topps Now 50/50 Season Auto card numbered to five, which went for $54,900. The only other previous sale on Card Ladder for a PSA 10 /5 sold for only $15,300. That was just over a month earlier, on March 21.
Lastly, let's look at Ohtani's 2018 Bowman Chrome RC Auto Blue Refractor /150. This PSA 10 fetched $41,480 at Goldin. Card Ladder registers 30 sales of a PSA 10 Auto /150. This sale is the highest of all-time for the card. The previous high of just over $37,000 came in 2023. In 2018, the card sold for as little as $2,190.
These auctions leave little doubt that Ohtani's high-end cards are still on top of The Hobby. We're witnessing a truly generational talent both on the field and in the world of trading cards.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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