Shohei Ohtani sports card grading outpaces MJ, LeBron and others

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, the only multiple-time unanimous MVP winner in MLB history, has conquered a new frontier.

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

In high-end collecting, authenticators and graders assign cards grades on a 1-10 scale -- evaluating surface quality, centering, corners and edges -- which enhance or diminish a card's value. For both modern and vintage (pre-1980) cards, the difference between an 8 and a 9, and which company grades 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. One on March 29, a 9.5 graded by Beckett Grading Services, sold for $46,800, including buyer's premium. On April 26, a PSA 10 sold for $97,200.

Since the beginning 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 next four most submitted active MLB players combined: Corbin Carroll (25,317), Gunnar Henderson (20,054), Julio Rodriguez (15,766) and Jackson Holliday (15,384).

Jordan has historically been one of the most submitted athletes in trading card history. In 2022, Jordan submissions to PSA (144,140) nearly doubled Ohtani's (79,900). But so far in 2024, there have been 19,645 more Ohtani cards submitted than Jordans.

"Historically, Michael Jordan trading cards have been the gold standard in collecting for a generation," PSA president Ryan Hoge said. "Ohtani surpassing Jordan as the most-submitted athlete over a notable period of time is a major moment for the hobby. All-time greats like Jordan are generally on a level that's untouchable to current players."

When it comes to active players across sports, Ohtani PSA submissions nearly outpace the next three most submitted athletes combined: Rodriguez (102,272), Trevor Lawrence (96,728) and James.

"We're seeing a paradigm shift here," Hoge said.