The Best Shohei Ohtani Cards: From Record Breakers to Affordable Gems
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It is easy to understand why Shohei Ohtani’s baseball cards are so expensive. He is the best player in the world and the first player since Babe Ruth to dominate as a hitter and a pitcher. He is about to win his 4th MVP award in 5 seasons, and last year he became baseball’s only 50/50 player en route to a World Championship with the Dodgers.
In addition, he is arguably the most famous Japanese person in the world. Over 25 million Japanese baseball fans tuned in to watch Ohtani and the Dodgers play the Cubs in game one of the 2025 Tokyo series in March. By comparison, the 2024 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees averaged 15.8 million viewers in the United States.
It is amazing to think that the most popular baseball player in the United States and Japan once had baseball cards that flew under the radar. Back in April of 2019, an Ohtani Bowman Chrome Refractor /499 PSA 10 sold for just 66 bucks. The same card recently sold in September for $12,500.
An 18,839% price increase in a baseball card is not normal, but nothing about Ohtani is. Many people believe that the buying window for Ohtani cards has already closed, but Ohtani’s cards continue to reach new heights. This article will highlight the best and most valuable Ohtani baseball cards of all time, and also call attention to some affordable “Shotime” gems for the average collector.
The Most Expensive Shohei Ohtani Card of All Time:
2024 Topps 50/50 Shohei Ohtani Dynasty Black Autograph MLB Logo Patch PSA 9, Auto 9 1/1
Price: $1.067 million (sold on Heritage Auctions in March, 2025)
Card Appeal: It is the rarest card possible, and it came out to commemorate the historic 50/50 season when Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. It includes a beautiful golden ink auto and includes the MLB logo patch from the uniform pants he wore when he accomplished the historic feat against the Miami Marlins.
The Most Expensive Shohei Ohtani Rookie Card:
2018 Topps Finest Autographs #FA-SO Shohei Ohtani, Signed in Kanji Rookie Card - PSA GEM MT 10
Price: $585,600 (sold on Golden Auctions in September, 2025)
Card Appeal: The rare “Kanji” autograph is what makes this one special. Ohtani usually signs his cards in English and only a few of his cards have ever been signed with his special “Kanji” autograph. The fact that this rookie auto is also a Gem Mint PSA 10 makes this card extremely sought after.
Best Budget Insert Shohei Ohtani:
2024 Topps Update #HFA-29 Home Field Advantage SSP PSA 9
Price: $150 (sold on eBay in October, 2025)
Card Appeal: Home Field Advantage is a new insert put out by Topps that has a lot of similarities to Panini’s Downtowns. These inserts are rising in popularity because of their aesthetically pleasing designs. This Ohtani includes the classic Hollywood sign and a beautiful image of Dodgers Stadium. Topps will put out “Home Court Advantage” inserts in their new Topps basketball product, which may help the baseball versions catch on. Only 223 of these Ohtani cards have ever been graded by PSA.
Best Budget Rookie Shohei Ohtani:
2018 Topps Chrome Pitching Rookie #150 PSA 10
Price: $284 (sold on eBay in October, 2025)
Card Appeal: This is the flagship rookie card of Ohtani, meaning that it is the most recognizable and collected base rookie card of Shotime. Even though over 14,000 of these cards have been graded by PSA, the demand remains high. People love iconic rookie cards of the greats, and this card is one of them.
Best Budget Pre-Rookie Shohei Ohtani:
2017 Topps Now #OS-80 “Angels Introduce Japanese Superstar” (raw)
Price: $32 (sold on eBay in September, 2025)
Card Appeal: This is the first Ohtani card in an MLB uniform. The print run was 17,323 for this card, but that makes it rarer than most modern base cards. The card includes a stoic close-up image of a young Ohtani before he took over the baseball world.
David is a collector based in Georgia and a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New York Knicks. He is an avid sports card collector with a strong passion for vintage baseball cards and vintage on-card autographs. David enjoys obtaining autographs through the mail and loves connecting with other knowledgeable collectors to discuss the history and evolution of the hobby. He also previously wrote about the New York Giants for GMENHQ.com