MLB

How Shohei Ohtani turned a Minneapolis family into instant millionaires

A rare Topps Ohtani card pulled from an ultra-exclusive release sold for $3 million, setting a new record for the star.

John E. Sokolowski

Update: Dec 23rd, 2025 05:17 EST

A Shohei Ohtani baseball card has turned a Minneapolis family into instant millionaires after selling for $3 million at auction, one of the most remarkable finds in modern sports collectibles.

Shohei Ohtani’s newest record

The card, part of an ultra-exclusive Topps release, was pulled by the Anderson family and quickly became one of the most valuable baseball cards ever produced. The final sale price of $3 million set a new record for any Ohtani card.

Pete Anderson and his two sons, Colton and Henry, had invested in the rights to any Los Angeles Dodgers cards that appeared in a specific batch of packs from Topps’ Chrome Gold Logoman series. Topps is the dominant force in American sports collectibles.

Family’s Dodgers investment pays off in style

Their investment paid off when they uncovered the crown jewel of the series. The card features Ohtani’s autograph and a gold MLB Logoman patch that the Japanese superstar wore during a game last season. The patch commemorates Ohtani’s 2024 National League MVP award.

That same game added even more significance. Ohtani hit one of the 55 home runs he finished the season with, his first since returning from paternity leave earlier in the year, further enhancing the card’s historical value.

Although the Andersons are avid collectors, they quickly recognized the card’s financial importance and decided to sell it through Fanatics, one of the leading auction platforms in the sports memorabilia industry.

“An enormous amount of money”

“They absolutely love the card, but it’s an enormous amount of money, so they decided to sell it almost immediately,” Fanatics executive Kevin Lenane told MLB Network.

The card opened with a starting bid of $750,000. Within 24 hours, bidding had already surpassed $1 million. When the auction closed, it had become the most expensive Shohei Ohtani card ever sold.

How Shohei Ohtani turned a Minneapolis family into instant millionaires — Ohtani's million-dollar letter.MLB Network

Where it ranks in baseball card history

The sale eclipsed Ohtani’s previous record, set by a 2024 Black Logoman card that included a patch from the game in which he became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

It is also the most expensive card ever sold of a Dodgers player. However, it falls short of the modern-era record of $3.93 million paid in 2020 for a 2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects Superfractor card of Mike Trout.

The all-time high still belongs to a Babe Ruth card from 1914, which sold for more than $4 million earlier this year. Ruth remains the only player routinely mentioned in the same historical context as Ohtani.

What the family plans to do with the money

The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed, but the Andersons have shared their plans for the windfall. Pete Anderson intends to reinvest his portion into new collectibles, hoping to capitalize on continued momentum in the market.

His sons plan to set aside a significant share to help cover college expenses, a practical move given the high cost of higher education in the United States.