Ichiro's Japan rookie cards -- Hilo Stars?

[bk400]

I've been looking at Ichiro's 1993 rookie cards from his time in Japan. Came across the "legend" of his Hilo Star cards and the potential controversy around them. See the below chat from last year.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1479326

Fascinating stuff, all very weird. To summarize, Ichiro played for the Hilo Stars in the Hawaii Winter League in 1993, and there were apparently a very small run of cards printed for distribution at the stadiums. There weren't very many printed to begin with and then there was a theft and subsequent fire that destroyed much of those that remained. The guys in the chat linked above debated whether the whole print run was a giant scam.

Interestingly, there are PSA graded cards that have changed hands at reasonably high prices over the years. In fact, in 2001, PSA published an article about the Ichiro Japan rookies that specifically highlights the Hilo Star cards.

Any thoughts?