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Before they became U.S. stars, Shohei Ohtani, Luka Doncic and Alex Ovechkin had rookie cards in other countries
The rookie card is sacrosanct among collectors. Debates over what is and isn’t a rookie card, depending on the sport, continues to be a hot topic at shows and on message boards.
But the rookie card brouhaha is further complicated by another factor — cards featuring players who already appeared on a card in another country prior to playing in the United States.
Japanese baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani, NBA All-Star Luka Doncic and the NHL’s Alexander Ovechkin may have little in common. All three, however, are some of the superstars who fall into this unique category. In fact, all three athletes appeared in foreign card sets before ever playing in the United States.
Some consider these appearances pre-rookie cards, others the actual rookie card. In fact, players who had a pro career before coming to a U.S.-based sports league fall into this ambiguous territory. Despite the ongoing debate over what constitutes a rookie card, some collectors and dealers see in these pieces of cardboard a chance to invest in something most others either ignore or don’t even know exists.
This conundrum first appeared in the 1990s when players from across the world were signed to pro contracts in baseball, basketball and hockey. Major League Baseball saw Japanese players flocking to our shores, most notably after pitcher Hideo Nomo signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nomo’s success helped spur the wave of exceptional Japanese players who would sign with MLB clubs that decade and beyond.
Nomo, for example, was named the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year. That same season, he would start in the All-Star game and lead the NL in strikeouts. Several other players followed Nomo, some of them possessing exceptional offensive skills. The one that stands out most is outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who made his debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Suzuki would go on to become a 10-time All-Star (in addition to being a seven-time All-Star in Japan). Named the 2001 American League MVP, the player known simply as Ichiro is likely to be a Hall of Famer when he appears on the ballot starting in 2024.
The NBA, meanwhile, became a global brand following the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. As a result, a crop of European players began playing here, including Vlade Divac, Gheorghe Muresan and Toni Kukoc. All became key players for much of that decade. Kukoc, for example, hailed from Croatia and was a member of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls teams. He would end up winning three straight NBA titles starting in 1996.
In the NHL, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union allowed Russian players like Pavel Bure and Sergei Federov to sign with North American teams. The pinnacle of this trend was when the Detroit Red Wings featured the “Russian Five” in the mid-90s. The five players were Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov and Igor Larionov. Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman played the five as a unit at times from October 1995 to June 1997. They won the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the 1996-97 season.
What started in the ‘90s continues to this day. Foreign athletes continue to sign with American sports teams. As a result, many of them were featured in card sets not produced for sale in the United States. Here are 10 cards that fit this unique category.
1971 OPC CFL JOE THEISMANN ROOKIE CARD #13
Joe Theismann went from playing college football to the Canadian Football League. While O-Pee-Chee is hardly considered foreign to collectors these days, it was for decades only available in Canada and much-better known for hockey.
While Theismann was born in the United States, the CFL is not a U.S.-based sports league. Theismann’s OPC rookie from 1971 shows him in a Toronto Argonauts uniform and predates his NFL debut by three years. The rookie is part of a 132-card set that is often hard to come by.
1983 JOGO CFL WARREN MOON
Before he became a big-time NFL quarterback, Warren Moon, like Theismann, got his start north of the border with the Edmonton Eskimos. It is considered valuable due to its rarity and the first year that Canadian card manufacturer Jogo made cards featuring color photography and using a traditional card size set.
1991 BBM HIDEO NOMO #379
“Nomo-mania” swept the nation in 1995. The Japanese pitcher left hitters flummoxed with his tornado-like delivery and fastball. In making his MLB debut with the Dodgers, Nomo became the first Japanese player to excel in the majors. So much so, that Nomo was the first to spur interest in Japanese baseball cards among American collectors. Before Nomo ever appeared on a Topps card, he had been featured in several Japanese sets, most notably on this 1991 BBM card as a member of the Kintetsu Buffaloes.
1993 BBM ICHIRO SUZUKI #239
Before playing in the majors, Ichiro was a star in Japan. Put out by BBM under the auspicious of Japanese Baseball Magazine, the cards were first produced starting in 1991 and modeled after Topps.
For years, Japanese trading cards were either smaller than their American counterparts or made to resemble postcards. This Ichiro card shows him batting for the Orix Blue Wave of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Many collectors consider this card — a year after his 1992 debut in Japan — his true rookie.
1993 BBM HIDEKI MATSUI #423
Like Ichiro, Hideki Matsui is one of those Japanese ballplayers remembered for his clutch hitting. Also featured in the same 1993 BBM as Ichiro, this 498-card set is among the most sought after by both North American and Asian collectors and coincides with Japanese players coming to play in MLB.
2001-02 RUSSIAN ICE ALEXANDER OVECHKIN #15
The value of Ovechkin cards — and variety of Upper Deck-issued rookies in particular — have skyrocketed as the Russian gets ever closer to potentially eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s record for NHL regular-season goals. His first appearance on any card can be found in the 2001-02 Russian Ice set, which showcases the future Washington Capitals star in a Dynamo Moscow uniform and face cage.
2013 BBM 1st VERSION SHOHEI OHTANI #183
This is among the most sought after Ohtani base cards not featuring a Topps logo. The first version of Ohtani’s BBM card — his first card ever as a pro ballplayer — shows him winding up to pitch. It’s a truly iconic pose for a player who has achieved top status both in his homeland and in the majors.
2013 BBM 2nd VERSION SHOHEI OHTANI #554
One of two cards featuring Ohtani to appear in the 2013 BBM set, this card shows him batting. Before joining the Anaheim Angels in 2018, he played for the Hokkaido Hippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. After six seasons of pitching and playing outfield for them, he signed with the Angels and was named the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year.
2013 BBM HOKKAIDO NIPPON-HAM FIGHTERS STADIUM EVENT SPECIAL EDITION SHOHEI OHTANI #PR12
Ohtani is largely viewed as the best player in the major leagues at the moment. Like Ichiro and Matsui, he previously played in Japan. Like them, he’s excelled in North America. This special edition promo card depicts Ohtani both pitching and hitting — both things he does well — along with a red ink facsimile autograph. It is more rare than his two other BBM cards and versions in high grades can fetch thousands of dollars.
2016 UPPER DECK EUROLEAGUE AUTOGRAPH LUKA DONCIC #23
Doncic’s Panini Prizm base, parallels and autograph cards may be all the rage, but he did appear in the 2016 Upper Deck Euroleague set before ever stepping foot on an NBA court. Considered ultra-rare, many Doncic fans want this card as part of their collection. Featured in a Real Madrid jersey, this autographed card (which is not numbered) also comes in Rainbow Foil versions.
Clemente Lisi
