Virginian Andy W. Loves to PC the Japanese Star
Andy W.’s card collection used to primarily consist of vintage Hall of Fame baseball legends, as he typically shied away from modern players. However, his focus shifted after he started watching two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The 44-year-old was captivated by just how special Ohtani is on the diamond. Suddenly, Andy had his guy to PC.
About four years after picking up his first Ohtani, Andy has amassed a mind-blowing collection of about 270 cards of the Los Angeles Dodgers phenom hitter/pitcher. “It was sort of a slow thing at first,” said Andy, who lives in northern Virginia. “All the parallels and stuff are such a different world. You never know what’s going to happen with a modern player, but he’s just been so fun to watch. He seems like a once-in-a-generation kind of player.”
Growing up in Toledo, Ohio and Cincinnati, Andy latched onto the Cincinnati Reds. He collected in the 1980s, then took a few decades off. He reentered the hobby during the pandemic.
“I have a lot of Reds players,” Andy said. “But not just them, like Brooks Robinson or Willie Stargell or Johnny Bench or Frank Robinson. I like try to get their Topps run signed, if I can. It’s amazing to me how cheap you can get some of that stuff, considering who they are. I have some pre-war stuff, too. But the bulk of it is post-war Hall of Famer autographs.”
Andy’s top signed cards are a 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie and a 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie.
Building His Collection
When Andy first started his Ohtani quest, he purchased some of his Japanese cards because they could be had at a good price. The further Andy gets into the project, the more difficult it becomes. Ohtani’s interest has skyrocketed all over the world, especially after he became the first player in MLB history to hit over 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
“When he hit 50-50, my watch list on eBay, it was just like everything was gone that day. Everything got snapped up,” Andy said. “It’s harder and harder, and that’s where I try not to get sidetracked. If there’s something you really want, especially like a rookie card, you’ve really got to take your time and let stuff go if the price isn’t right.”
Andy’s favorite Ohtani card is a 2018 Topps Holiday blue auto, which was a Topps employee exclusive, numbered to /10. He’s also a big fan of his 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Atomic Refractor. The beautiful card is numbered 38/100, and it’s a Beckett 8.5 with a 10 autograph.
“I like his Finest rookie autos, too,” Andy said. “For vintage, I collect a lot of autographs, so I pay a lot of attention to the autograph itself. The more elaborate and flowing they are, the better I like them. That’s why I like his pitching Bowman one so much.” Andy isn’t big into collecting rainbows, but he has a nice run of Ohtani. He owns the six-card parallel sets of 2022 and ’23 Topps Japan Edition. He’s also completed the eight-card Ohtani set from 2023 Topps x J-Rod The Show Out Collection, and he has seven of the eight Ohtani cards from the 2022 Topps x Lauren Taylor set.
“I actually even have the original artwork that she did for the card,” Andy said. “I just need that stinking orange, then I’ll have that run.”
Reaching His Collection Goals
Andy has tried to focus on his Ohtani collection and specific goals he has for it. However, he admits he can be easily distracted when it comes to cards.
“Especially the Japanese stuff, it’s just not as well documented, and things will pop up that I’ve never even seen before,” Andy said. “I’m trying to focus on rookies. For like the year to year, I’ll try to get a Clear. It is not easy, but I try to. Also a Black, and like the hobby foilboard and some of the Sapphires. I was buying just random parallels and inserts and Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Camo, and at some point I don’t have enough space.”
Andy wants to stay focused and keep plugging away on his impressive Ohtani collection.
“I try to pick up a big rookie card or a Japanese playing days card, depending on how big it is, every month or every year,” Andy said. “I’ll get something big, and that will be my big purchase for the year. Just continue the runs as new stuff comes out.”
He can’t wait to watch Ohtani open the season in his much-anticipated homecoming in the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19. Andy has been to Japan a few times and wishes he could be in attendance at the Tokyo Dome.
“I’m psyched,” he said. “My wife and my daughter and I went to Japan last March. My wife was there for work, so we just made it a family thing. I just keep telling her, ‘Hey, we went the wrong March. We should go back this year.’ I wish I could be there, but it will be fun to watch.”
