Ichiro Suzuki’s 2001 MLB arrival didn’t just change the game on the field — he helped feed growing international demand for baseball cards via plenty of new premium brands that helped pave the way for the ultra-deluxe stuff of today.

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A legendary career and baseball journey on two continents makes its final stop this month in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Hall of Fame and there’s a lot that can be said about that in several directions. 

Ichiro Suzuki changed the game with his arrival in MLB, eschewing the longball in favor of speed and hits — lots and lots of hits. But, “hits” are also the story of all those years when it comes to baseball cards with the prized rarities found in packs with autographs on them — or pieces of memorabilia in them — being an unstoppable force in those years. 

Of course, hits didn’t start with the Japanese star’s arrival, but many of his cards in sets alongside another now-legendary 2001 rookie, Albert Pujols, helped change the cardboard world even faster. Demand for their stuff prompted several new brands from several companies making MLB cards back then to try new things, capitalizing on their new stars who could move packs and boxes of cards -- just like they could move players around the bases and move butts into seats to watch games. One could argue that 2001 was in part a big piece in the evolution of what we see in today’s sports card landscape -- a focus on rarities with small print runs and with premium prices that weren’t like the wax paper-wrapped pocket-change treasures of not that many years before. 

Now, what’s to come here is absolutely not a definitive list of top cards — and it’s not one purely based on volatile values or one limited solely to Rookie Cards. Why? There’s a lot to choose from for Suzuki on all fronts — there could be several ways to take on this challenge. He has more than 50 different Rookie Cards between his 1993 Nippon Professional Baseball and 2001 Major League Baseball debuts (depending on how you want to argue about RC definitions) and he had roughly 500 cards in 2001 alone. Many of them are rarer cards where it is impossible to own them all thanks to small print runs and rare serial-numbered versions. 

In all, he appears on more than 19,000 different cards made over the years between NPB and MLB -- and even though his playing career ended in 2019 his cardboard career has not. He’s got a place in the game in seemingly every new baseball card set on the way and that figures to be the story for the rest of cardboard eternity. He’s not just a Hall of Famer … he’s an international icon.

Here’s a small sampling of 25 Ichiro Suzuki cards that are both fun and notable.

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What's Buzzing: Jac Caglianone, new MLB pulls, a Sapphire WWE surprise, NBA cards, errors and more.

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1 -- Checking in on the Jac Caglianone chatter

2 -- 2025 Topps pulls and more

3 -- Sapphire WWE box delivers a surprise

4 -- NBA cards are on their minds

5  -- Look for the one odd card mentioned here

6 -- Sell the Rays? (What about the Marlins?)

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Have you spotted a hot thread? Tell us about it in a comment or on Twitter.

Follow BlowoutBuzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz.

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2023 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby/jumbo)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

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Update: The Card Vault was the winner.

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The Final Four have been revealed.

America's Best Card Shop -- a four-month long competition presented by Loupe, which has joined forces with industry leaders such as Topps, the Miami Marlins and Blowout Cards -- nears the final step in selecting a winner as the Final Four were revealed on Wednesday from more than 1,400 candidates.

They are Baseball Card Connection (Effingham, Ill), The Card Vault (Foxborough, Mass.), Honey Hole Collectibles (Escondido, Calif.) and Real Sportscards (Champlin, Minn.) The winner gets a grand-prize package worth more than $50,000 as well as an exclusive Loupe streaming deal.

>> CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE WINNING SHOP RIGHT HERE

"We were overwhelmed by the response to Loupe Presents: America’s Best Card Shop," said Loupe founder and CEO Eric Doty. "A vast majority of the submissions came from customers who wanted to nominate their favorite LCS, which is exactly why we started this initiative. It proves that the foundation of the hobby is in community ties and the personal relationships that are forged over sports cards. It was really cool seeing how many collectors made the effort to help out the people who run their local card shop."

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If you want to collect 'em all, you'll have to hit an MLB team shop.

Topps and MLB Players Inc. revealed this morning that the 2022 Topps Players Clubhouse baseball card line, which will get a pack of cards into your hands if you buy at least $149 in "officially licensed MLB Players products displaying the MLB Players logo, in a single transaction, at this team store location" beginning on selected dates -- starting today -- while supplies last with a limit of one pack per person.

Packs will not be sold at the participating team shops, according to the announcement.

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Who's the best? It's a simple question with a number of potential possibilities -- and there's a contest launching today to get a definitive single answer.

America's Best Card Shop is a four-month long competition presented by Loupe, which has joined forces with industry leaders such as Topps, the Miami Marlins and Blowout Cards. The winner gets a grand-prize package worth more than $50,000 as well as an exclusive Loupe streaming deal.

"Our goal is simple, and it's all in the name: We want to find the best sports card store in the United States," read the program's announcement. "If you own a brick-and-mortar sports card store in the U.S. (or want to nominate one), we'd love to hear from you."

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I'm now 3-for-3 in this game within the Collecting Game-used series.

What am I talking about? Picking off game-used baseball bats for the retired player I collect, Nick Swisher, and in this case it's another 100-percent game-used and photo-matched piece -- but one without an MLB Authentication sticker. (Here's last time and here's the first one.)

How was this possible? Just like last time -- with research and some luck while knowing what to look for with game-used bats. I actually picked up this bat with zero idea of when it might have been used -- all I knew about it and the reason why I wanted it was that it was from 2015 when he was on the Braves. In general, this should be his rarest pro gamer -- 46 games in 2015 and then 17 spring games in 2016 -- compared to four years in Oakland, a full season in Chicago, four in New York Yankees pinstripes and then two and a half in Cleveland. Why does this matter to me? Well, thanks to this pick-up, I finally can say I have gamers from each of his pro teams and close to a full rundown of his models of bats he used. (Not all but close.)

This bat is another reminder that not every item that gets used gets an MLB Authentication sticker -- and that you can find gems for any player.

You can keep reading to see the details this time.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Bo Bichette, Bol Bol, wrestling Mount Rushmores, new breaks, inside an NBA stash and is the MLB season already in jeopardy?

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With plenty of chatter about what an MLB season might (or might not) consist of this year -- and nothing yet firm -- it seems like many of the typical traditions and events that we're used to are potentially going out the window.

That's not necessarily a bad thing in some ways -- it will allow MLB to do some dramatic tinkering and some of those it might have wanted to try but couldn't pull it off for a myriad of reasons. But one thing that might not be possible or may have to wait until after the regular season ends is the All-Star Game.

The series of events that are all tied to that event include the prospector must-see Futures Game, an always forgettable (yet oddly watchable) All-Star Celebrity Softball Game and the gem of them all if you ask me ... the Home Run Derby.

And that leads to this month's item, which I was intending to hold until July, but, well, ... you know (cue the Cardi B wail) "Coronavirus!"

Keep reading to see this month's item ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Joe Ryan, RHP, Rays — High Class A Charlotte Knights
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The man with the unhittable fastball was at it again this week, when he flirted with a no-hitter in the first game of Charlotte’s doubleheader with Bradenton. He settled for a one-hit masterpiece that briefly put him on top of the minor league strikeout leaderboard. His 159 strikeouts are more than any Rays minor leaguer accumulated all of last season."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Only MiLB team sets
First Chrome auto: None yet
One auto to consider: None yet
Buzz’s card take: That highlight line should say plenty ... and that should prime the interest for his first autos when they arrive. When? Well, ideally the sooner the better. This week's release, Bowman Sterling, does not include him. The team set you see above, 2019 Choice Bowling Green Hot Rods, should be plentiful and will likely be broken often as one of the other players in that set is Wander Franco.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The packs: 2019 Topps Now Future World Series baseball packs (two packs)
Where to buy: Click here (previously only offered via Topps.com)
Cards per pack: 3

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What: 2018 Topps Transcendent Collection Japan Edition baseball cards
Arrives: Dec. 21
Box basics: 11 autographed cards -- and plenty more -- per box
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Topps' biggest high-end baseball brand gets a Japanese edition with a sole focus on two of the biggest MLB stars from the country -- Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani.

So, what comes in this one? Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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What: 2019 Topps Opening Day baseball cards
Arrives: March 13
Box basics: No hits guaranteed per 36-pack box (20 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Opening Day returns for its 20th season with an insert in every pack, autographs and Relics in the mix -- and things even get a little dirty again, too.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins — Low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers
Season so far: 1-4 with 5.13 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 20 walks in 54.1 innings (12 starts)
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Rogers has worked six or more innings in his last three starts, culminating with Sunday’s gem, where he struck out a career-best 12 batters and carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 300
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Metal Perfect Game
Buzz’s card take: His season numbers look a little LaLooshian but he was the 13th overall pick in last year's draft and he's on the Marlins so they'll take it -- and the potential. The recent games look relatively solid, so if you're sold on the potential of a Marlins pitcher then you might want to bite.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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What would you pay for Giancarlo Stanton's final Miami Marlins jersey?

It could be yours right now ... for a price.

One of Buzz's newest super-casual hobbies is looking into specific pieces of game-used MLB memorabilia direct from teams with MLB Authentication. It's not a heavy focus just yet -- it's just a result of the ol' personal collection player being a retiree going cardless these days.

Some MLB teams have mailing lists you can join for updates about memorabilia available after games but most do not. Many sell items in team shops and via MLB Auctions (not always as auctions, though). The Miami Marlins are one team that does have a mailing list and there are some gems to be found there on the cheap.

But then there's the Stanton section. (And an Ichiro Suzuki section, too.)

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees? That and more ...

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Tony Yi
Also known as: @theichirovault and iamtony33 on Blowout Forum
Website: theichirovault.blogspot.com
Location: Washington
Work away from cards: Corporate management
Collecting since: 2011

Main focuses: Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano and 1/1 cards -- he owns 335 1/1s and 42 of those are Superfractors.

Favorite teams: Seattle Mariners, Washington Huskies football

Current collecting projects: I used to work on rainbow projects often, and I have completed 14 of them. They have become too time-consuming so I now mainly concentrate on obtaining Ichiro, Cano and certain 1/1 cards. There is one Ichiro rainbow I will never stop trying for though and it’s from my favorite set, 2012 Topps Chrome. All I am missing is the Superfractor that sold years ago and I assume its in a PC collection forever. But if anyone knows who has it, please let me know.

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A new baseball season is nearly here with the first spring training games set to air later this month and that's when we'll see the newest players on their new teams.

And many of them will be wearing new uniforms -- well, at least new caps.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Jose Fernandez, Arnold Palmer, Heritage High Number and "sensitive" baseball players.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Jose Fernandez reactions, Carson Wentz's start, Pro Set & more.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Collectors react to Jose Fernandez, "Pitch," Trey Mancini and impressive breaks.

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The best players of today on new cards using memorable designs of yesteryear is the point of the 2016 Topps #TBT, an ongoing baseball card set from Topps that has been released one pack a week this summer.

And this week the players are all Ichiro Suzuki and his "Journey to 3,000" that ended on Sunday at Coors Field in Colorado.

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The newest Mr. 3,000 already has the cardboard to prove it.

Ichiro Suzuki's triple off the wall in the seventh inning Sunday at Coors Field in Colorado made him just the 30th player in MLB history to join the 3,000 Hit Club and today he's the first to have the feat nearly instantly commemorated on cardboard with a Topps Now card.

There is one standard card and five game-used base Relics -- a standard card limited to 99 and then four parallels made to as rare as a single copy for $999. (Update: Each of the base Relics was sold out within 30 minutes, with the print run generating $46,318.16 in sales based on the posted prices. Update 2: A record 11,550 copies of the standard card were sold.)

Topps Now, of course, is Topps' real-time cardboard platform where notable moments are only available for 24 hours via Topps.com and are made to order. After that window closes, the cards will no longer be made and can only be found on the secondary market.

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He's been a legendary hitter in MLB since arriving in a Seattle Mariners uniform back in 2001, and he's now 42 years old and on a tear with 10 hits in his last three games for the Miami Marlins.

He's Ichiro Suzuki and he's just 40 hits away from the 3,000 Hit Club as a major-leaguer. (Throw on 1,434 hits in Japan and, well, that's a career mark even Pete Rose should appreciate.)

Even if you're a deep-pocketed collector, chasing Ichiro cardboard isn't easy. He's been in high demand since his legendary Rookie of the Year/MVP season and there's plenty of cardboard from that year alone. There's also been plenty since. And there are also plenty of collectors from around the world who are watching his cardboard just as intently as they are watching the box scores right now.

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Ichiro Suzuki will be marching toward 3,000 career hits this season, but that doesn't mean there won't be time for a private signing.

In fact, it's coming up later this month via Mill Creek Sports.

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