Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is already breaking baseball card records
Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hasn’t played a single game in the majors yet, but he’s already breaking baseball card records.
A limited edition card of Ohtani sold 17,323 copies in just 24 hours, setting a new Topps Now record.
Shohei Ohtani breaks TOPPS NOW print run record with 17,323 copies sold in 24 hours. #Angels @Topps pic.twitter.com/5eklKf7Mzr
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) December 20, 2017
This isn’t your typical baseball card. Ohtani’s record-breaking card is part of the Topps Now series. According to the company’s website, the series “celebrates the greatest moments in sports and entertainment … as they happen!”
Every Topps Now card is available for just 24 hours and can only be purchased on the Topps website. You can go on the company’s website to see some of the other cards that have been available as part of the Topps Now series, and how well each card sold. Giancarlo Stanton’s first appearance with the New York Yankees sold 2,836 cards, for example. Ohtani’s blew that out of the water.
That probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. In Stanton’s case, fans already had plenty of opportunities to pick up his baseball cards. Maybe not in a Yankees jersey, but they had Stanton cards.
This is one of the first ever baseball cards of Ohtani since he joined MLB. It presented fans with their first opportunity to snag the card of the guy dubbed the “Japanese Babe Ruth.” You can see the appeal there, right?
If anything, it tells you how high expectations are for the Angels and Ohtani. People are willing to put money down on a limited edition card of him with the hopes that it could rise in cost if he turns into a superstar in MLB.
If that happens, a lot of card collectors just made a brilliant investment. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still a pretty neat thing to own.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
