To the casual collector, most know about 2 variations when it comes to Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Topps RC. There is the standard card of Shohei Ohtani pitching, and there is the variation where Ohtani is leaning on a bat.
For the extreme collectors, and now everyone else, there is a unicorn card to be had. This variation is called “hand on helmet”.
Related: Shohei Ohtani Gets Epic World Series Champion Card
This super short-print rookie card can only be found in hobby packs, and odds of finding this variation are 1 per 22,500 packs. With such odds against any collector, and seeing there are only 13 PSA 10s in existence, there is no wonder this card recently sold for $12,600.
Per GemRate, there have been only 114 graded cards of this version. Between PSA, SGC, and Beckett, there are a total of 17 graded a 10.
Is this is a steal at $12,600, or is the market right? Cardladder shows there has only been 6 sales on record for this card in a 10 grade, which is extremely low for someone of his caliber.
The future hall of famer is having another sensational year. So good, he may walk away with another league MVP. The “Babe Ruth” of our generation is already leading the league in runs, with 124. His 45 home runs is second in the National League, and he is once again pitching for the Dodgers.
If he does win the NL MVP, he will become the 2nd player ever to win 4 or more MVP’s. This will be just another historical accolade to add to his legendary resume.
You can only imagine what another MVP will do for this card, and of course his other cards as well.
