Rick Fayter, a Fairfield native, discovered one of the rarest baseball cards in the world—a “one-of-one” Shohei Ohtani card—at a Liberty Township card shop, providing a moment of joy during a challenging time in his life. Fayter, who grew up in Fairfield and is a die-hard Reds fan, faced a difficult period when his father suffered a stroke in June, prompting him and his son Cam to rush from Dallas to Cincinnati.”Spent two and a half days in the ICU with him until he progressively started getting better,” Fayter said.Seeking a moment to breathe, Fayter visited Card Stocks in Liberty Township to clear his mind, where he unknowingly purchased a pack containing a piece of baseball history.”I was between Topps Tier 1 2020 and Topps Tier 1 2022,” Fayter said. He chose the 2022.”As soon as I ripped it down the middle, I saw the name Shohei Ohtani. And I went, ‘oh boy’,” he said.The card, a Shohei Ohtani 1-of-1 bat knob autograph, is one of the rarest modern baseball cards ever produced.”I didn’t even know what I had,” Fayter said.Chad Carter, operations manager of Card Stocks, explained the card’s rarity.”We call it a game-used bat nob. It’s embedded into the card along with his autograph and that’s what makes it super rare,” Carter said.Only three Ohtani bat-knob autos exist, and for Fayter and his son, the card became their own treasure.”I’m a single father. My son and I, we’ve had a great run for a few months with the card,” Fayter said.Together, they decided to sell the card.”So, however much that card goes for at auction, it’s gonna go all to him,” Fayter said.The card is now featured in Goldin’s Elite Auction, which runs through Nov. 29. It has already reached $28,000 with 11 bids. Adding to the excitement, a 2020 Ohtani bat knob auto sold for $132,000 last month. Fayter admits that after this discovery, he might be a bit of a Dodgers fan too.

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

Rick Fayter, a Fairfield native, discovered one of the rarest baseball cards in the world—a “one-of-one” Shohei Ohtani card—at a Liberty Township card shop, providing a moment of joy during a challenging time in his life.

Fayter, who grew up in Fairfield and is a die-hard Reds fan, faced a difficult period when his father suffered a stroke in June, prompting him and his son Cam to rush from Dallas to Cincinnati.

“Spent two and a half days in the ICU with him until he progressively started getting better,” Fayter said.

Seeking a moment to breathe, Fayter visited Card Stocks in Liberty Township to clear his mind, where he unknowingly purchased a pack containing a piece of baseball history.

“I was between Topps Tier 1 2020 and Topps Tier 1 2022,” Fayter said. He chose the 2022.

“As soon as I ripped it down the middle, I saw the name Shohei Ohtani. And I went, ‘oh boy’,” he said.

The card, a Shohei Ohtani 1-of-1 bat knob autograph, is one of the rarest modern baseball cards ever produced.

“I didn’t even know what I had,” Fayter said.

Chad Carter, operations manager of Card Stocks, explained the card’s rarity.

“We call it a game-used bat nob. It’s embedded into the card along with his autograph and that’s what makes it super rare,” Carter said.

Only three Ohtani bat-knob autos exist, and for Fayter and his son, the card became their own treasure.

“I’m a single father. My son and I, we’ve had a great run for a few months with the card,” Fayter said.

Together, they decided to sell the card.

“So, however much that card goes for at auction, it’s gonna go all to him,” Fayter said.

The card is now featured in Goldin’s Elite Auction, which runs through Nov. 29. It has already reached $28,000 with 11 bids.

Adding to the excitement, a 2020 Ohtani bat knob auto sold for $132,000 last month. Fayter admits that after this discovery, he might be a bit of a Dodgers fan too.