Alright, let me tell you about my dive into Topps Shohei Ohtani cards. It wasn’t some grand plan, you know? Just kinda happened.
I started seeing Ohtani everywhere. News, highlights, the guy was doing amazing things, pitching and hitting. It got me curious. I remembered collecting cards as a kid, so I thought, why not check out his cards? Seemed like a fun thing to do, maybe grab a few cool ones.
Getting Started – The Hunt
First thing I did was just search online. Typed in “Topps Shohei Ohtani”. Man, so much stuff popped up. Different years, different sets like Topps Chrome, Topps Heritage, Bowman. It was a bit overwhelming, honestly. Didn’t know where to start.
So, I decided to keep it simple. I went down to a local card shop. Remembered there was one near the grocery store I go to. Walked in, looked around. Lots of boxes, lots of single cards in cases.
Here’s what I did next:
- I asked the guy behind the counter about Ohtani cards. Just straight up, “Got any Ohtani stuff?”
- He pointed me towards a section. Some packs, some individual cards.
- I grabbed a couple of recent Topps packs first. Figured ripping packs would be fun, like when I was younger.
- Then I looked at the singles. Saw a few rookie cards, but wow, the prices on some were steep. Decided against those for the moment.
- Ended up buying a few base cards from recent years that weren’t too expensive, just to have some.
The Sorting and Figuring Out Part
Got home with my little haul. Sat down at the kitchen table. Opened the packs first. It was kinda exciting, pulling out cards, hoping for an Ohtani. Didn’t get any super rare ones from the packs, mostly base cards of other players, but I did pull one regular Ohtani card. Felt pretty good!
Then I looked at the singles I bought. Laid them out with the one I pulled from the pack. They looked cool. Nice photos, good quality card stock from Topps. I started trying to figure out what I actually had. Looked up the card numbers on the back online, trying to see if they were common, short prints, or whatever. Most were just standard base cards. Nothing earth-shattering.
My process was simple:
- Open packs, enjoy the surprise.
- Lay out all the Ohtani cards together.
- Use the phone to search for the card details (year, set, card number).
- Try to understand the difference between base, inserts, parallels (those shiny ones!).
- Put the Ohtani cards into soft plastic sleeves, then into harder top loaders to keep them safe. Found some old supplies I had lying around.
What Now?
So, that was my start. It wasn’t about investing or making money, not really. It was more about reconnecting with a hobby and appreciating this unique player. I bought a few more packs online since then, pulled a couple more Ohtanis, including a slightly shinier parallel one time, which was neat.
I haven’t gone crazy buying expensive graded cards or anything. Mostly just pick up a few packs here and there, or trade with a buddy who also got into it. I keep the Ohtani cards I get in a separate box. It’s just a simple, fun collection. Seeing his cards reminds me of watching his games. It’s a cool little side thing I do now. No big strategy, just enjoying the process of finding and keeping these Topps cards of his.
