Shohei Ohtani sports card rating surpasses MJ, LeBron and others

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, the only multiple-time unanimous MVP in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, has conquered a new realm.

Sports and trading card grading giant PSA (Professional Sports Certification Agency) announced that more Ohtani card grades (270,177) have been submitted since the beginning of 2023 than any other retired or active athlete.

In high-end collections, appraisers and graders rate cards on a scale of 1-10—evaluating surface quality, center, corners, and edges—which can increase or decrease a card’s value. For modern cards and vintage cards (pre-1980), the difference between grade 8 and grade 9 and which company graded the card can mean thousands of dollars.

Less than a month apart last year, two separate 2018 Bowman Chrome Ohtani Rookie Autographs gold refractors sold for different prices on collectibles marketplace Goldin. On March 29, one graded 9.5 by Beckett Grading Services sold for $46,800, including buyer’s premium. On April 26, a PSA 10 sold for $97,200.

Since the start of 2023, PSA has received more Ohtani submissions than Michael Jordan (252,803), Kobe Bryant (94,339), LeBron James (89,787) and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (75,035). Since the end of the 2023 MLB season, more Ohtani cards have been submitted (83,384) than the four most submitted active MLB players combined: Corbin Carroll (25,317), Gunnar Henton Gunnar Henderson (20,054), Julio Rodriguez (15,766) and Jackson Holliday (15,766). 15,384).

Jordan is historically one of the most submitted athletes in trading card history. In 2022, Jordan submitted nearly twice as many works to PSA (144,140) as Ohtani submitted (79,900). But so far in 2024, Ohtani has submitted 19,645 more cards than Jordan.

“Historically, Michael Jordan cards have been the gold standard for a generation’s collectibles,” said PSA President Ryan Hoge. “It’s great for the sport that Ohtani has surpassed Jordan as the most submitted athlete for some time. It’s a big moment. All-time greats like Jordan are usually at a level that current players can’t reach.”

When it comes to active athletes across sports, Ohtani has submitted almost more PSA numbers than the next most submitted athletes combined: Rodriguez (102,272), Trevor Lawrence (96,728) and James.

“We’re seeing a paradigm shift here,” Hogg said.