CSG Card of the Month: 2018 Topps Chrome #150 Shohei Ohtani

2018 Topps Chrome #150 Shohei Ohtani Click images to enlarge.

Sport: Baseball

Set: 2018 Topps Chrome

Card: #150 Shohei Ohtani

What makes it special? As a rare two-way player in Major League Baseball, Shohei Ohtani has been an inspiration since joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. And because Topps Chrome is one of the most popular baseball sets on the market, Ohtani's rookie card from the 2018 series is highly sought-after by card collectors. During his US career, Ohtani has won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and the 2021 Silver Slugger Award, become a two-time MLB All-Star and won the 2021 AL MVP. With his combined power at the plate and 100 mph fastball on the mound, no other player in the league is impacting baseball games the way Ohtani does on both sides of the ball.

Did you know? In 2021, Ohtani had a legendary season as he became the first player in MLB history to have 10+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases as a hitter, while also earning 100+ strikeouts and making 10+ appearances as a pitcher. He was so dynamic at the plate that he even led the league in home runs for a portion of the season. His elite performances on offense and as a pitcher earned him the AL MVP that year. In fact, as one of the faces of the league these days, Ohtani's accomplishments as a two-way player leave him in rarified air as he continues to be compared favorably to MLB icon Babe Ruth.

Total graded by CSG: There are 523 graded examples of the standard version of this card in the CSG Population Report, as of early April 2023. CSG has also graded 11 different parallels of the same card, including the Image Variation (1), Refractor (62), Pink Refractor (23), Sepia Refractor (21), Prism Refractor (18), X-Fractor (7), Negative Refractor (4), Purple Refractor (4), Variation Refractor (3), Blue Refractor (1) and Green Refractor (1) inserts.

LEFT: 2018 Topps Chrome #150 Shohei Ohtani Refractor RIGHT: 2018 Topps Chrome #150 Shohei Ohtani Pink Refractor Click images to enlarge.

CSG median grade: CSG Gem Mint 10

CSG highest graded: There are 374 standard examples graded CSG Gem Mint 10, as well as several parallels graded CSG Gem Mint 10, including Image Variation (1), Refractor (17), Sepia Refractor (16), Pink Refractor (15), Prism Refractor (12), X-Fractor (6), Negative Refractor (3), Variation Refractor (3) and Purple Refractor (1).

Sales highlights: An example graded CSG 9.5 realized $110 through PWCC in March 2023. Additional sales of parallels through PWCC include a Sepia Refractor graded CSG Gem Mint 10 that sold in March 2023 for $228, a Refractor graded CSG Gem Mint 10 that sold in March 2023 for $240, a Pink Refractor graded CSG 9.5 that sold in November 2021 for $260 and a Purple Refractor graded CSG 9 that sold in November 2021 for $370.

CSG Registry: The card is part of this company set: 2018 Topps Chrome, which has 30 competitors. It is also part of Ohtani Players Set and the Ohtani Rookie Player Set. Due to Ohtani's popularity with collectors, his Player Set has 105 competitors, and his Rookie Player Set has 40 competitors. Waxxius has assembled a Player Set called Shohei Ohtani that has amassed 17,750 points and includes standard and Refractor versions of this card, each graded CSG Gem Mint 10.

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