A home run auction is taking shape in the sports collectibles market.
The New Balance cleats that Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani wore during the 2025 MLB Tokyo Series, his first Major League games played in Japan, are being auctioned by The Realest through Aug. 16.
“You’re seeing the market is white hot, and we believe this is still early for [Ohtani] memorabilia when you compare it to other categories like cards and more,” The Realest founder and CEO Scott Keeney, better known in collectible circles as DJ Skee, said on Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid (video above). “These are by far the most significant Ohtani shoes to ever hit the market.”
The game-used cleats feature Ohtani’s rare Kanji signature and artwork of his dog, Decoy. Industry experts believe the cleats could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars — and potentially set a record for baseball footwear — underscoring the enormous global demand for Ohtani memorabilia.
The current bid is $27,000.
One of the most telling data points about where we are in the booming collectibles market came on July 17, when a signed Tom Ford leather jacket worn by Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang sold at Sotheby’s for $960,000 — a staggering 16 to 24 times its pre-auction estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
It attracted 45 bidders and 65 bids!
That jacket sale is the latest high-profile auction as more money pours into collectibles — from jackets to sports jerseys to even dinosaur bones. A Tyrannosaurus rex specimen called Gus recently sold at Sotheby’s for $50.1 million, becoming the most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction.
Brian Sozziis Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor, host of the ‘Power Players With Brian Sozzi’podcast and a member of Yahoo Finance’s editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X@BrianSozzi,Instagram, andLinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/topic/stock-market-news/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
