If you thought the emergence of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball might put a damper on the one that gave him 40 homers and 40 stolen bases, think again.
That ball–almost forgotten in the month that saw Ohtani become the 50-50 club’s first member–sold at Goldin Saturday night for $251,320.
The ball generated 61 bids.
Ohtani’s 389-foot, game-winning shot at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Aug. 23, bounced off a fan sitting in the stands and onto the field. However, Rays center fielder Jose Siri tossed it back into the stands, where Troy Beunteo, who was attending his first Dodger game, pinned it between his foot and the concrete under his seat and then picked it up.
“Everyone was in a frenzy, and it just got magnified when the ball got thrown back to where we were,” Buenteo told Los Angeles television station KTLA on Aug. 24. “It was just pure mayhem, madness and pandemonium for about four to five seconds.”
The Bakersfield, California, resident consigned it to Goldin, which sold it as part of its September Elite Auction.
Goldin is also selling Ohtani’s 50th home run ball, which was also consigned by a fan who wound up with it. The auction for that ball was approaching $1.5 million as of Sunday, but has been challenged by a teenager who says another fan ripped it out of his possession. A judge turned down a request by attorneys for Max Matus to halt the auction, but a hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.
Saturday night’s auction saw numerous six-figure trading card sales, topped by a 2004-05 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Signatures Logos LeBron James 1/1 with a PSA 10 autograph that sold for $854,000.
Twenty-eight bids were entered for the card, which is the first 1/1 James card to include a piece from a game-worn jersey.
The 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft Paul Skenes Prospect Autographs SuperFractor 1/1 netted $123,220 on the day the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 22-year-old rookie ace pitched for the final time this season.
Skenes pitched 133 innings at the major league level this year, finishing with a 1.96 ERA and just 32 walks. Opponents hit just .198 against him and he was the first rookie pitcher to start at least 23 games with a sub-2.00 ERA since Scott Perry in 1918.
The 2024 Topps NOW Olympic Gold 1/1 featuring gold medal basketball stars Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant sold for $53,680.
An autographed version featuring the three NBA stars has yet to publicly surface.
An autographed copy of the 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan card graded PSA 7 with a 9 autograph grade, went for $195,200. an unsigned copy graded PSA 7 sold for a record $68,320. A year ago, it was selling for around $25,000.
In all, 16 lots in the auction sold for over $100,000.
Related Stories:
Notes: Lewis Hamilton SuperFractor Pulled; WaPo on SoCal Card Trader; All-Star 1st Pitch Ball Auction
Fans, Collectors Vote Ohtani #1 in 2022 Topps Set
Notes: Ohtani 1/1 to Auction; McDavid Gamers; Big Flawless, Heritage Pulls, More
Feds: Ohtani Interpreter Used Star’s Money to Buy Baseball Cards, Too
Shota Imanaga Cards Bring Back Memories of Fernandomania
Jackson 3: MLB Rookie Searches Soar on eBay
Soaring Market for Shohei Ohtani Cards Plays Out in Data and at Shows
Notes: Ohtani Card Was a Shrewd Investment; WY Man Accused of Skip-Scanning Scam; Howe Jersey Paces Classic Sale; Crosby Pucks at Auction
