50/50: Ohtani's Big Night Causes Card Prices to Soar
Shohei Ohtani made MLB history last night becoming the first player in the 50/50 club and he did so in style with a 6-6 night that included 3 homers, and 10 RBIs! The hobby world is buzzing with a surge in Ohtani pricing and incredibly high demand for a card celebrating the feat.
There were concerns in the hobby that Shohei Ohtani’s prices would drop or stall if he stopped pitching. As of a few days ago, Ohtani’s gains this season were modest suggesting that these concerns had merit. Turns out 50/50 changes things. Last night, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 stolen bases in a season which is kind of a big deal.
All of Ohtani’s cards are up substantially, but let’s focus on one. His 2018 Topps #700 in PSA 10 grade has gone from selling just over $150 to $300 overnight. The rise is not a product of slow growth, but an explosion that happened due to the combo of MLB history and Ohtani’s best-hitting game ever. Either of those would have caused a spike, but put them together and you get charts like the one below showing Ohtani's Topps 700 PSA 10 pricing (recent higher sales not included in graph).
Ohtani was already the biggest name in baseball, but it turns out he was a bit of a sleeping dragon. Collectors have gone gaga for Ohtani overnight and his prices are through the roof. The card market for baseball rarely sees large spikes based on individual gains, and especially not from veterans. It’s not a normal occurrence in the baseball market and hasn’t been seen on this level since the days of Sosa and McGwire, but then Ohtani is not the normal player.
Topps is celebrating Ohtani’s achievement with a Topps Now card that, as is becoming the norm for big events, comes with a chance for an auto. Topps’ website got slammed with people trying to order the newly-announced Ohtani Topps Now card. Many collectors reported being stuck in Topps’ waiting room for several minutes due to high traffic. That normally only happens for highly sought-after wax, and certainly not for Topps Now cards, but again, Ohtani is not the normal player.
The FIRST to ever do it…50/50 for the one and only Shohei Ohtani!! 🔥
— Topps (@Topps) September 20, 2024
Someone who buys the Topps Now base card from Ohtani’s historic night will receive this 1/1 inscribed autograph card! pic.twitter.com/qtze0tTXpJ
Many wondered what it would take for Ohtani to see an increase in popularity if he stops pitching. It took a while, but we finally have our answer. Collectors demanded nothing less than MLB history and Ohtani delivered.
JOHN DUDLEY