CGC-certified One-of-One 'Fire Ohtani' Auto Patch Offered Through Goldin

One of the most sought-after rarities of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani's early career with the Los Angeles Angels is now seeing renewed interest because of a harrowing backstory that was four years in the making. From the joy of pulling the card at a local card shop to the agony of losing it in a house fire, the one-of-one 2021 Topps Dynasty Autographed Patches - Gold #DAP-SO3 Shohei Ohtani has re-emerged, encapsulated in a crystal-clear CGC holder with the special designation of "Fire Ohtani." And now, this incredible card is being offered in a sale presented by Goldin.

Online bidding is already underway for the 2026 Monthly Sports Elite #8 auction, which will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026. To find out more about the "Fire Ohtani" and its journey, make sure to keep reading. In addition, see the Q&A with the card owner here.

In February 2022, collector Ryan Fick visited his local card shop in Michigan to buy some cards. Little did he know that his purchase of a box of 2021 Topps Dynasty would include a once-in-a-lifetime find when he pulled a one-of-one Shohei Ohtani Auto Patch rarity. One of the gems of the set, the Ohtani card features a Majestic logo patch (the MLB jersey brand prior to Nike) and Ohtani's signature. Needless to say, Fick and his family were elated by the pull.

Fick and his wife, Moarine, chose to immediately send the Ohtani card to a third-party grading service, and it was returned encapsulated and graded 9 with an autograph grade of 10. The Ficks owned a modern grail but, at the time, they had no plans to sell and instead kept the rarity as a centerpiece to Ryan's sports card collection. Yet the card's story had just begun.

In late October 2022, the Ficks' home caught on fire. Amid all of the chaos of the fire, the family did not think the ultra-rare Ohtani card survived. To their astonishment, they were wrong. While sifting through the debris weeks later, they found it — in the condition you see today, with water damage and singed edges. However, the core of the card, including the jersey patch and autograph, still looked surprisingly clean. As you can imagine, the card not only brought a wave of sadness and disappointment, but also disbelief that it had survived at all. They placed it in a hard case and tucked it away along with the difficult memories of a heartbreaking night that saw their home ravaged by flames.

For years, Fick and his family left the card out of sight, not thinking of its potential regardless of the damage. In the seasons that followed, Ohtani continued to solidify his MLB career, as he became a modern MLB icon and the face of baseball globally. Over the next four years, the two-way player was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, earned three more MVP Awards, became a two-time World Series champion, and more. In addition, Ohtani became arguably the most-collected modern athlete in the hobby today.

In late July 2026, Fick and his daughter attended the largest and most prestigious sports card and memorabilia show in the world — The National in Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Although it had been years, he decided to bring the Ohtani card along for the ride. He didn't anticipate the buzz that the card generated at the show. The story of the one-of-one Ohtani that had survived a house fire spread across the convention and became one of the most talked-about cards of the weekend.

After meeting with multiple third-party grading companies at The National, Fick chose to once again slab the card, this time in a crystal-clear CGC holder. The Ficks established a solid relationship with CGC, as they worked together to properly certify such a special card with such an extraordinary story. CGC authenticated the card, assigned an autograph grade of CGC 9, and included a special designation on the label that adds transparency and provenance that brings this card full circle: the "Fire Ohtani."

Now, the CGC-certified "Fire Ohtani" takes the next step on its whirlwind journey, as it heads to auction through Goldin and eventually to a new home. Although the Ficks will never forget that infamous night in October of 2022, or the tough times that followed, letting go of this card is another step in their healing process, as they continue to press forward to brighter days.

Q&A with Card Owner Ryan Fick

How did you get into collecting sports cards?

I started collecting in 2012 when our daughter was around 4 or 5 years old. She started playing T-ball and loved everything about T-ball, baseball, and softball. So that took us to watching the games and then to collecting cards and memorabilia.

What are your favorite sports teams and/or athletes to follow and collect?

For teams, I follow the Cubs, Braves, and Angels. As for the players, I collect Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Anthony Rizzo, Chipper Jones, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Your "Fire Ohtani" card has had a fascinating journey and has recently generated some buzz within the hobby. How did you originally acquire the card?

We pulled the card ourselves at our local shop, The Sports Card Shop, in New Buffalo, Michigan. A Topps Ohtani Gold 1/1 Auto Patch, straight from the pack!

Previous to the fire, did you have any plans for the card?

Until The National this year, we’ve only ever collected. We had it graded and planned to just hold onto it. There was so much attention and excitement around the card at The National that we decided it might be the right time [to sell].

Walk us through finding the card in the remains of the fire and realizing it was still intact. What were your immediate reactions in that moment?

We were cleaning up outside and the card was under some debris just under the edge of the deck. I was shocked it was intact and immediately put it into a new sleeve. It’s just been sitting in a box since that day. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it because of the damage.

CGC is proud to have worked with you to certify and encapsulate your "Fire Ohtani" card. How did you decide on CGC as the right third-party grading service for you and your card?

We talked to several service providers at The National but none of them were as welcoming as the folks we met at CGC. We were introduced to Brandon, and he was super helpful and as excited to work with us on the card as we were with them. Can not say enough good things about the experience we've had with CGC. They took my daughter and I “behind the scenes,” and we really enjoyed meeting and talking with everyone.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games, and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs, and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation, and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray, and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.