Topps NOW has set an all-time record with a print-run of 653,737 for its Shohei Ohtani 50-50 Club card.
The card, which was made available on the Topps website for $11.99 shortly after Ohtani hit his 50th home run Thursday — becoming the first MLB player to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season — was offered for just 24 hours, ending Friday night.
This total eclipses the previous record, set just last month for the LeBron, Curry, Durant Olympics Basketball card, which was powered in large part by the chase for the 1/1 triple auto card.
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That chase card, which has yet to be pulled despite the myriad bounties and social media attention, seems to have planted a seed for the success for the model of Topps NOW chase cards fueling record numbers for base cards.
The same strategy was employed with the Ohtani 50-50 card, which included a randomly inserted 1/1 card signed by Ohtani and Inscribed "50/50 Club 9/19/24." That card has not been pulled either, but clearly assisted in the record-setting sales numbers.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.