✹The PERENNIAL Shohei Ohtani Thread✹

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by Trueblue

Jetlagged and tired from travel, but at least this was home when I arrived.. worth the wait. A friend for my PSA counterpart.

Welcome home & well done! Those are exquisite.

*not a fan of the holder

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Trueblue]

Originally Posted by NYRE2PECT

Welcome home & well done! Those are exquisite.

*not a fan of the holder

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know I know. There are only two PSA 10s and the price would likely be double. We do what we have to do

I do want to try to cross it but I am not cracking this one!

[Mister2Bits]

Originally Posted by Trueblue

Jetlagged and tired from travel, but at least this was home when I arrived.. worth the wait. A friend for my PSA counterpart.

Originally Posted by NYRE2PECT

Those are exquisite.

Ditto Thanks for sharing.

[HarryLime]

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

[hammertime]

Originally Posted by HarryLime

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

I've got one on the way!

[al3xmac10]

Originally Posted by Trueblue

Jetlagged and tired from travel, but at least this was home when I arrived.. worth the wait. A friend for my PSA counterpart.

Incredible pair! Congrats on the snag Trueblue!

Originally Posted by HarryLime

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

That is a nice card Arthur!
May I ask from what set it is?

[HarryLime]

Originally Posted by hammertime

I've got one on the way!

Did you get that SGC 10?

Originally Posted by al3xmac10

That is a nice card Arthur!
May I ask from what set it is?

It's from the 2019 Transcendent VIP Party. Not sure why it took me almost three years to see one but the second I laid eyes on it I knew I was throwing a nuclear "gotta have it" snipe on it.

Arthur

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by HarryLime

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

Beauty, Arthur, great pickup!

[Trueblue]

Originally Posted by HarryLime

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

Last card to complete the TTY set. It's one of my favorites as well. Nice

[Rage]

Originally Posted by HarryLime

Is it a RC? No.

Is it awesome? YES.



Arthur

YES! Love the vertical batting pose and red jersey

[NukeLaloosh]

Hi there, returning to collecting and building up my Ohtani collection. I was wondering if someone would be willing to take the time to explain to me the difference of all his different heritage cards (and just in general the differences in heritage sets)? For example, it's unclear to me the history of heritage cards (i.e high number vs real one), real one red ink vs blue ink autos (are blue ink numbered), and the differences in value of a heritage real one autograph vs heritage high number autographs? Apologies in advance for these simplistic questions, but in my experience, getting answers from experienced collectors gives me a lot more insight than researching for hours on the internet. Thank you!

[Rage]

Heritage High Number always comes out after normal Heritage, its basically Heritage Update.
Red Inks are always hand numbered and much more expensive than their blue ink counterpart.
I'm sure someone here who owns those cards can give more exact insights into values

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by Rage

Heritage High Number always comes out after normal Heritage, its basically Heritage Update.
Red Inks are always hand numbered and much more expensive than their blue ink counterpart.
I'm sure someone here who owns those cards can give more exact insights into values

...yeah, paging the man.

[Rage]

In the meantime, today's mail had this festive addition to my Red Shohei RC collection

04/10

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by Rage

In the meantime, today's mail had this festive addition to my Red Shohei RC collection

04/10

Thats sweet looking !

[Trueblue]

Originally Posted by Rage

In the meantime, today's mail had this festive addition to my Red Shohei RC collection

04/10

I always liked that set. Subtle enough where it stays classy unlike the other holiday flagship version. Well done.

[Trueblue]

Originally Posted by Rage

Heritage High Number always comes out after normal Heritage, its basically Heritage Update.
Red Inks are always hand numbered and much more expensive than their blue ink counterpart.
I'm sure someone here who owns those cards can give more exact insights into values

Originally Posted by NYRE2PECT

...yeah, paging the man.

Ohtani card degen, reporting for duty!

First off, when Ohtani came stateside, Topps did everything they could to maximize his presence in products. It is however an unwritten rule that a player can't have more than one rookie base card in Heritage. Afterall Heritage "Low" and Heritage High are continued numberings of each other (#1-400+SP and #400-700+SP) and combine to make the "full" Heritage set. As such, Topps decided to hold his rookie base card for Heritage High (#600) and insert Ohtani into Heritage Low as an "insert" known as the action variation. This was particularly interesting, as the action variations have the player literally in action, but the Ohtani action (#17) looked like a signature Heritage image. There are also no non-auto variations of this card. This is why most people consider this card his "true" Heritage rookie despite the insert tag, which is clearly just by name. As a side reference, the Heritage base #17 is Zach Davies. Action variations back then were one per box, bringing the print run to ~2,500 copies.

Although Heritage has an unwritten rule for base rookies, there are not rules for inserts. This is why you have two rookie autograph inserts for Ohtani, one in each set. The Heritage Low version has the same image as the action #17 but is numbered ROA-SO. Interestingly, Topps appeared to have a shortage of these base (blue ink) autographs and packed the hobby version but made the retail version redemption. This is why you see two very distinct autographs of the blue ink as they were signed at different times. In fact, the retail version was 99% likely signed at the same time as the Heritage High version given similarities and timing. The blue ink version print run is truly unknown but it can't be higher than 500-700. The condition of these was decent with some L/R centering issues. There is however some common chipping issues on the back making PSA 10 versions decently tough. The red ink version was all packed hobby and retail. This version had especially tough chipping issues, hence there only being two PSA 10s in the pop report. Red inks generally run 2.5-3x the blue ink but I would think this plays up a bit with Ohtani given that the red ink was irrefutably the poster child of the Heritage Low release.

For Heritage High, the ROA (bat on shoulder) QC was absolute garbage. On top of the chipping there were severe T/B centering issues. The pop report on the blue ink PSA 10 is pop 5 versus a few dozen for the Heritage Low version. This version was pretty undercover as Ohtani's hype had waned a bit since it was released post-TJ when many panic sold. It was also the second version and many people consider non 1sts bastardized inserts. The multiplier is out the window here and it is all condition based in my opinion due to the QC. Heritage High also has many variations such as the action (actual action shot), color swap, error, traded, nickname, 25th anniversary, chrome, chrome refractor, black chrome, gold chrome, and superfractor. It's not a mystery why people like me consider Heritage Low more "pure."

Happy to help with any other questions including a breakdown on some condition characteristics of the 600 variations. If it were me, I'd scoop up the Heritage Low autos and only high grade condition Heritage High.

Left to right: Heritage Low Hobby, Heritage Low Retail, Heritage High

[NukeLaloosh]

Originally Posted by NYRE2PECT

...yeah, paging the man.

Wow NYRE2PECT you were not joking when you said you were paging the man. Beautiful red festive holiday card as well!

[NukeLaloosh]

Ohtani card degen, reporting for duty!

First off, when Ohtani came stateside, Topps did everything they could to maximize his presence in products. It is however an unwritten rule that a player can't have more than one rookie base card in Heritage. Afterall Heritage "Low" and Heritage High are continued numberings of each other (#1-400+SP and #400-700+SP) and combine to make the "full" Heritage set. As such, Topps decided to hold his rookie base card for Heritage High (#600) and insert Ohtani into Heritage Low as an "insert" known as the action variation. This was particularly interesting, as the action variations have the player literally in action, but the Ohtani action (#17) looked like a signature Heritage image. There are also no non-auto variations of this card. This is why most people consider this card his "true" Heritage rookie despite the insert tag, which is clearly just by name. As a side reference, the Heritage base #17 is Zach Davies. Action variations back then were one per box, bringing the print run to ~2,500 copies.

Although Heritage has an unwritten rule for base rookies, there are not rules for inserts. This is why you have two rookie autograph inserts for Ohtani, one in each set. The Heritage Low version has the same image as the action #17 but is numbered ROA-SO. Interestingly, Topps appeared to have a shortage of these base (blue ink) autographs and packed the hobby version but made the retail version redemption. This is why you see two very distinct autographs of the blue ink as they were signed at different times. In fact, the retail version was 99% likely signed at the same time as the Heritage High version given similarities and timing. The blue ink version print run is truly unknown but it can't be higher than 500-700. The condition of these was decent with some L/R centering issues. There is however some common chipping issues on the back making PSA 10 versions decently tough. The red ink version was all packed hobby and retail. This version had especially tough chipping issues, hence there only being two PSA 10s in the pop report. Red inks generally run 2.5-3x the blue ink but I would think this plays up a bit with Ohtani given that the red ink was irrefutably the poster child of the Heritage Low release.

For Heritage High, the ROA (bat on shoulder) QC was absolute garbage. On top of the chipping there were severe T/B centering issues. The pop report on the blue ink PSA 10 is pop 5 versus a few dozen for the Heritage Low version. This version was pretty undercover as Ohtani's hype had waned a bit since it was released post-TJ when many panic sold. It was also the second version and many people consider non 1sts bastardized inserts. The multiplier is out the window here and it is all condition based in my opinion due to the QC. Heritage High also has many variations such as the action (actual action shot), color swap, error, traded, nickname, 25th anniversary, chrome, chrome refractor, black chrome, gold chrome, and superfractor. It's not a mystery why people like me consider Heritage Low more "pure."

Happy to help with any other questions including a breakdown on some condition characteristics of the 600 variations. If it were me, I'd scoop up the Heritage Low autos and only high grade condition Heritage High.

Left to right: Heritage Low Hobby, Heritage Low Retail, Heritage High
[/QUOTE]

Wow, I thought I was becoming an Ohtani card degen, but I obviously have light years to make up. Thank you for sharing this knowledge. The thing is only the low condition Heritage High cards are still affordable However, if you would be willing to share some condition characteristic to look out for on the 600 variations, I would greatly appreciate it!

(I have always been an Ohtani fan and would have collected his cards earlier, I just didn't realize people still collected cards after the junk wax era ended (when I stopped). Came back just because of Ohtani. But I fear I am a bit too late. Still picking up cards here and there. Trying to collect some Japanese BBM/Calbee cards before those blow up too in price, but I think I am also too late there as well. Definitely still fun collecting Ohtani. Hopeful the MLB and MLBPA will let him play this year...)

[Trueblue]

Originally Posted by NukeLaloosh

Wow, I thought I was becoming an Ohtani card degen, but I obviously have light years to make up. Thank you for sharing this knowledge. The thing is only the low condition Heritage High cards are still affordable However, if you would be willing to share some condition characteristic to look out for on the 600 variations, I would greatly appreciate it!



(I have always been an Ohtani fan and would have collected his cards earlier, I just didn't realize people still collected cards after the junk wax era ended (when I stopped). Came back just because of Ohtani. But I fear I am a bit too late. Still picking up cards here and there. Trying to collect some Japanese BBM/Calbee cards before those blow up too in price, but I think I am also too late there as well. Definitely still fun collecting Ohtani. Hopeful the MLB and MLBPA will let him play this year...)

600 variations:

Action - General centering issues (not severe), back corner wear, front indents, occasional 'fish eye' printing defect on front
Color Swap/Error/Traded - L/R centering
Nickname - L/R centering, back edge wear
25th Anniversary - Severe L/R centering issues - gem is literally impossible and PSA 8 is a good grade, print run of just 25
Chrome - General centering issues (not severe), back edge wear, print run of 999
Chrome Refractor - Front surface scratches, front clouding stains, back edge issues, print run of 569
Black Chrome - Back edge and corner wear, front surface scratches, print run of 69
Gold Chrome - Severe T/B centering issues - gem is literally impossible and PSA 8 is a good grade. Shame, as the print run is only five
Super - I've never seen it. Probably a good thing.

Also, just a note that while rare, the obscure parallels generally do not sell well. A lot of collectors do not care enough about the subtle differences between the variation and the base. The best selling paper variations are the action and the nickname. Most of the premium goes to the Chrome versions. The sweetest balance is likely the black chrome gems. I was not able to get over the horrendous centering of the golds. One would argue that a print run of just five would nullify this defect, but I just couldn't deal with the ugliness.

[GMRide27]

Is the '18 Bowman Chrome #1 the most expensive "base" rookie simply because he's in a batting stance versus the flagship pitching base card?

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by NukeLaloosh

Wow NYRE2PECT you were not joking when you said you were paging the man. Beautiful red festive holiday card as well!

Great people here in this thread, again, welcome and have fun with Sho - he is the best.

[seanrs1]

Trueblue...as someone that started collecting during the pandemic and just started collecting Ohtani last year...your input into this thread is very helpful and insightful. Thank you for your contributions!

I was wondering if you could give a guesstimate of the print runs on the Heritage variations (color swap, error, trade, sho time etc).

[Mister2Bits]

Originally Posted by Trueblue

Ohtani card degen, reporting for duty!

First off, when Ohtani came stateside, Topps did everything they could to maximize his presence in products. It is however an unwritten rule that a player can't have more than one rookie base card in Heritage. Afterall Heritage "Low" and Heritage High are continued numberings of each other (#1-400+SP and #400-700+SP) and combine to make the "full" Heritage set. As such, Topps decided to hold his rookie base card for Heritage High (#600) and insert Ohtani into Heritage Low as an "insert" known as the action variation. This was particularly interesting, as the action variations have the player literally in action, but the Ohtani action (#17) looked like a signature Heritage image. There are also no non-auto variations of this card. This is why most people consider this card his "true" Heritage rookie despite the insert tag, which is clearly just by name. As a side reference, the Heritage base #17 is Zach Davies. Action variations back then were one per box, bringing the print run to ~2,500 copies.

Although Heritage has an unwritten rule for base rookies, there are not rules for inserts. This is why you have two rookie autograph inserts for Ohtani, one in each set. The Heritage Low version has the same image as the action #17 but is numbered ROA-SO. Interestingly, Topps appeared to have a shortage of these base (blue ink) autographs and packed the hobby version but made the retail version redemption. This is why you see two very distinct autographs of the blue ink as they were signed at different times. In fact, the retail version was 99% likely signed at the same time as the Heritage High version given similarities and timing. The blue ink version print run is truly unknown but it can't be higher than 500-700. The condition of these was decent with some L/R centering issues. There is however some common chipping issues on the back making PSA 10 versions decently tough. The red ink version was all packed hobby and retail. This version had especially tough chipping issues, hence there only being two PSA 10s in the pop report. Red inks generally run 2.5-3x the blue ink but I would think this plays up a bit with Ohtani given that the red ink was irrefutably the poster child of the Heritage Low release.

For Heritage High, the ROA (bat on shoulder) QC was absolute garbage. On top of the chipping there were severe T/B centering issues. The pop report on the blue ink PSA 10 is pop 5 versus a few dozen for the Heritage Low version. This version was pretty undercover as Ohtani's hype had waned a bit since it was released post-TJ when many panic sold. It was also the second version and many people consider non 1sts bastardized inserts. The multiplier is out the window here and it is all condition based in my opinion due to the QC. Heritage High also has many variations such as the action (actual action shot), color swap, error, traded, nickname, 25th anniversary, chrome, chrome refractor, black chrome, gold chrome, and superfractor. It's not a mystery why people like me consider Heritage Low more "pure."

Happy to help with any other questions including a breakdown on some condition characteristics of the 600 variations. If it were me, I'd scoop up the Heritage Low autos and only high grade condition Heritage High.

Left to right: Heritage Low Hobby, Heritage Low Retail, Heritage High

Impressive. Thanks for sharing this.

[Rage]

Originally Posted by GMRide27

Is the '18 Bowman Chrome #1 the most expensive "base" rookie simply because he's in a batting stance versus the flagship pitching base card?

Hitting stance yes but more that it's his first bowman chrome card in MLB uni.