18,000 rookie cards for one player

[Peter_Spaeth]

This Ichiro has to be a world record for a card most years before what most people would deem RCs.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This Ichiro has to be a world record for a card most years before what most people would deem RCs.

That Takara is totally awesome. My favorite of his Japanese rookie cards, largely because it was the one most likely purchased by kids and played with as part of a game.

[sthoemke]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This Ichiro has to be a world record for a card most years before what most people would deem RCs.

In 1993, someone bought me the boxed team set as a gift when they went to Japan. I still have it.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Shohei's first Japanese cards significantly predate his "RCs" as well.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Ohtani had signed a major league contract, meaning he wasn't going to start the season in the minors. The agreement between Topps and the MLBPA that created the rookie logo designation sets forth that a player who is on a major league contract and has played in an official major league game may be included as a rookie card with the logo. It might seem odd, but in the agreement, the term "official major league game" is specifically defined to include spring training, regular season, and post season games. If memory serves, Ohtani's first rookie logo card was in Topps Opening Day, which would have come out after the start of spring training.

[bk400]

The MLB's RC logo system seems complicated. Will have to leave that to the unionists and lawyers. Here's another of Ohtani's earliest cards (the earliest, according to at least one authoritative source in Japan).