Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Rookie Card sells for $60,000
While heartbreaking for us Canadian Blue Jays fans, the recent World Series highlighted who I am calling the “Japanese Baseball Jesus” – Shohei Ohtani, who with his two-way superstar status (pitcher + hitter) and recent on-field milestones is enhancing the narrative and collector interest in the baseball trading market.
While many athletes have seen their sports card prices rise in recent years, Shohei Ohtani is in a league of his own. This card featured, a 2018 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Rookie Card (limited to just 50 copies) recently sold for $60,000 on November 2, 2025 after trading for $28,000 only four months earlier. The same card in 2021 could be obtained for approximately $1200.00 (a great investment, however you look at it.) Ohtani’s cards are capturing many of the “top watched” rookie-card spots across all sports.
One collector points out that Ohtani cards signed in his native Japanese kanji—which are quite limited—have particularly high prices.
Rob Veres, owner of Burbank Sportscards, states “To say there’s been a 50% increase [in the value of Ohtani cards] probably isn’t overstating things. That’s just in the sub-1,000-dollar market. As far as really big pieces go, we sold a couple cards at 100K apiece that have gone up probably 60% since the postseason started.”
Some Recent Notable Sales & Guide Values
- One of Ohtani’s high-end rookie cards (the 2018 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor RC, /50) sold for ? $60,000 on November 2, 2025 — up from ~$32,000 in July 2025.
- A recent “bat-knob auto” card (2020 version) sold for ~$132,000, with speculation that a 2022 version could fetch $500,000+.
- In 2019, an Ohtani 2018 Bowman Chrome Autograph BGS 9.5 sold for $560. On Oct. 28,2025 that card went for $46,500.
- According to a price-guide listing, a base non-rookie card — the 2025 Topps #1 Ohtani — is trading for much lower values: ungraded around $1.75, PSA 10 at ~$70, BGS 10 ~$91.
- A recent sale of a niche rookie card (2013 BBM “Keep Evolving!” Red Foil) graded PSA 10 sold for ~$9,900 (2024) despite being a rarer variant.
Card photo: fanaticscollect.com
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