The numbers surrounding the Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium sound fake, but they aren't.
Some fans waited in line for seven hours Wednesday to obtain one of the 40,000 bobbleheads featuring the two-time MVP and his dog. Of those 40,000, an undisclosed number were gold bobbleheads, and some have quickly made it to the secondary market.
Someone has pulled a gold Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead during the giveaway at Dodger Stadium tonight ???? pic.twitter.com/s9tpqLFQxs
— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2024
Asking prices for the bobbleheads are as high as $18,000, and while it remains to be seen if any sell at that price, there are a substantial number selling for a premium.
Of the 30 gold Ohtani and Decoy bobbleheads that have sold, 29 have hit $1,000 with the top sale coming in at $2,499.
There have been a number of high-profile giveaways this season, such as the George Costanza bobblehead the New York Yankees rolled out for the 35th anniversary of "Seinfeld.”
The resale figures for the Costanza bobblehead are minimal compared to Ohtani and Decoy. A single lot of three bobbleheads sold for $400, just 16% of what Ohtani’s top sale currently stands at.
This also isn't Ohtani's first bobblehead with the Dodgers. The first giveaway was May 16 to a sellout crowd of 53,527 — the largest at Dodger Stadium in five seasons and the largest MLB crowd this year.
The Dodgers pulled a similar variation stunt in the first bobblehead giveaway. Of the 40,000 given to fans, 38,300 bobbleheads were in a white jersey while 1,700 were in a gray jersey.
Gray jersey bobbleheads are listed on eBay for more than $1,000 while white jersey variations can be found for more than $200.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct.