Shohei Ohtani Cards Are Breaking Records
In this story:
Shohei Ohtani just won his second World Series, and unsurprisingly, his sports card prices continue to hit new all-time highs. As one of the most dominant players the game has ever seen, Ohtani’s success on the field has translated directly into the hobby. Just look at this chart from Card Ladder, a popular platform for tracking trading card values, showing the climb in his sports card prices since 2018.
RELATED: The Best Shohei Ohtani Cards: From Record Breakers to Affordable Gems
Many athletes have seen their card prices rise in recent years, but even among them, Shohei Ohtani is in a league of his own. Take his 2018 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Rookie Card, limited to just 50 copies. On November 2nd, it sold for $60,000, a jump of $28,000 in only four months after selling for $32,000 on July 31st. What's even more shocking is that the same card could be had for around $1,200 back in 2021. That’s nearly a 50x return, proving that Ohtani hasn’t just been one of the best sports card investments in recent memory, but one of the best investments, period.
Now the question everyone’s asking is whether these prices can be sustained or even go higher. And while there’s always some risk in buying a player at his peak, Shohei Ohtani seems to have more upside than most. For one, he’s a baseball player, and baseball has always been at the foundation of card collecting. He’s also an international icon with a fan base that keeps growing as the hobby itself becomes more global. On top of that, he continues to break records and do things the game has never seen before. Sure, his prices could fall, and people have been saying that every year since 2020. But if history shows anything, it’s that Ohtani keeps proving people wrong, both on the field and in the market.
Jason is a dedicated basketball card collector who recently transitioned into writing and educating others about the sports card industry. Find him on Instagram @jeancardz