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You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Modern Sports Card News / Talking Ichiro Cards and 3000 Hits with ‘Super Collector’ Tony Yi

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Talking Ichiro Cards and 3000 Hits with ‘Super Collector’ Tony Yi

August 7, 2016 By Chris Levy

(This article originally appeared in December 2015)

Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker – iconic names of baseball’s deadball era whose clutch hitting and aggressive speed made triples more common than home runs. This style of play had been abandoned by the dawn of the 21st century – replaced with power hitting and exciting home runs that had packed ballparks for 75 years. Fans of these players could only read ancient Ichiro 2016 Topps Chasing 3000 autonewspaper articles and view grainy, silent film clips and imagine a bygone era and a forgotten approach to the game. That was until the arrival of one man – Ichiro Suzuki – a much-heralded veteran of the Japanese Professional League who in 2001 became a big name in America by playing as if it were 1901.  For collectors of Ichiro baseball cards, 2016 looms as an anxiously anticipated season.

Despite his late arrIchiro card collector Tony Yiival, Ichiro’s baseball card legacy over the past 15 years is a strong one and he’s popular with collectors in both the U.S. and Asia.

Tony Yi, an Ichiro “super collector” who lives in the Seattle area, has been hoping his favorite player’s career would last long enough for him to become the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 hits.

“I have been excited for this moment for him for a while now,” he told Sports Collectors Daily.  “The amount of attention that he Ichiro Collection Tony Yiwill get as he gets closer and closer will be amazing and well deserved. The amount of joy I will have when he hits that milestone will be immeasurable. I haven’t been more excited for a MLB season to start for that reason alone.”

In his first season in the league Ichiro captured both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, and led the league with 242 hits, 56 stolen bases, and a .350 batting average. For the next nine seasons he would eclipse 200 hits and bat over .300 – including a league leading .372 in 2004 that accompanied 262 hits, which remains the single season record.  From the moment his first rookie cards hit the market in 2001, Ichiro has been building a legion of followers.

2001 Bowman Chrome refractors Ichiro“I’ve been a huge Mariners fan since I was a kid,” Yi explained.  “So when I heard about an Asian position player – him being the first in MLB – I was fascinated and rooting for him. He had lot of detractors saying he couldn’t cut it being a small undersized player. He proved them all wrong. His humble attitude and respect for the game is something I greatly admired as well,” Yi stated, explaining the origins of his passion for all things Ichiro. “I began collecting seriously around 2011. The first Ichiro cards I remember getting were his 2001 Topps Traded rookie card – the base and the chrome version.”

Ultimate Collection Ichiro autoAccording to Yi, Ichiro’s ‘holy grail’ – or most desired card – is his 2001 UD Ultimate Collection rookie card autograph – his first MLB auto and a card which he recently added to Ichiro auto patch relic 2001 SPhis collection. Another significant early card is his 2001 UD SPX patch autograph rookie card. 2001 Bowman Chrome has a number of expensive cards including a rare and difficult to find Xfractor and the Gold parallel, which is his most valuable non-autographed card – all three of these cards are available with a back in both English and Japanese.

Other noteworthy cards Yi suggests are his Leaf Immortals set – which is dedicated entirely to Ichiro – and some of his booklet autographs that have paired him with the likes of 2015 Topps Dynasty Ichiro auto relicBabe Ruth and Willie Mays. Yi counts his 2001 UD Ultimate Collection relic and autographed relic cards as some of the hardest Ichiro cards to find. Other mass-produced cards he feels are difficult are his 2012 Topps Chrome super short print variation, his 2001 Topps Chrome retrofactor, and his 2001 Topps rookie card gold parallel – despite being numbered to 2001.

After an absence in 2013 and ’14 due to a lack of a licensing deal, Yi and other collectors were excited to see him back on Topps cards with MLB logos in 2015. For collectors on a budget, Yi suggests adding a 2015 Topps Update Chrome or color pIchiro on deck circle variation 2015 Topps baseball cardarallel, which he described as ‘great looking cards’. He further described Ichiro’s 2015 Topps Update with the variation that featured the photo of him in the on deck circle as one of Ichiro’s “coolest” cards.

Yi sees a potential increase for Ichiro’s 2001 Topps Chrome rookie card, and notes that newer autographs tend to decrease as new products become available. Currently he feels there is value in 2015 Topps Five Star Ichiro autographs, as collectors impulsively rush to the newer Dynasty and Strata. His favorite budget card is 2012 Topps Chrome.

Ichiro autograph 2015 Topps SupremeThe business of Ichiro will surely increase as the 2016 season unfolds.  Assuming he finds somewhat regular playing time, Ichiro should get the 65 hits he needs to reach 3,000 by late summer.

“Ichiro has a huge Japanese and Asian market,” Yi stated.  “When looking for and making deals for high-end cards I’m always competing against crazed fans in Japan. Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. He is popular in the states but over there he is an absolute mega star, which is great for the hobby and interest in Ichiro cards and their values.”

You can follow Tony Yi on Twitter @TheIchiroVault.

Check out the current most watched Ichiro cards on eBay below.

2001 Bowman Chrome Refractor Japanese #351 Ichiro RC Signed AUTO PSA/DNA
34 bids - Price: $255.00 - Watchers: 36
Item #382441048229
2001 Ichiro Suzuki Bowman Chrome Gold Refractors BGS 8.5 22/99
15 bids - Price: $247.50 - Watchers: 28
Item #302708540684
2012 Prime Cuts ICHIRO SUZUKI TRIPLE BAT AUTO #/25 MVP BGS Authentic
24 bids - Price: $56.00 - Watchers: 25
Item #352331551858
2001 Topps #726 Ichiro Suzuki Mariners RC Rookie Signed AUTO PSA/DNA PSA 10
24 bids - Price: $122.50 - Watchers: 24
Item #382441742911
Ichiro Suzuki 2011 Leaf Metal Draft Laundry Tag Patch Auto /25
11 bids - Price: $119.50 - Watchers: 21
Item #132591056544
2017 Topps Tier One Clear Ichiro Miami Marlins AUTO 1/5
21 bids - Price: $172.50 - Watchers: 19
Item #362296132245
2001 Topps Traded Albert Pujols Ichiro rookie #99 Future HOF
7 bids - Price: $6.50 - Watchers: 13
Item #202293298172
2001 Victory #564 Ichiro Suzuki Mariners RC Rookie Signed AUTO PSA/DNA PSA 10
10 bids - Price: $78.77 - Watchers: 13
Item #372283580185
2001 Bowman's Best Ichiro Suzuki ROOKIE RC /2999 #162 PSA 10 GEM MINT (PWCC)
13 bids - Price: $132.50 - Watchers: 12
Item #352334841001
2001 TOPPS TRADED COMPLETE SET 265 CARDS PUJOLS ICHIRO RC RIPKEN & INSERTS MINT
1 bids - Price: $89.99 - Watchers: 11
Item #292524106448
Topps Ichiro #726 Rookie Card Lot of 3
11 bids - Price: $10.50 - Watchers: 11
Item #273164988317

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