The Ultimate Ichiro Rookie Card Guide
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Ichiro was a revelation. Now he’s a Hall of Famer.
The Japanese icon became an instant star when he made his Major League Baseball debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001, winning the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in his first season.
Between his contact hitting, blazing speed, cannon for an arm in the outfield, and all-around cool, Ichiro was a unique player at a time when power was dominating the game.
His 4,367 hits between his Japanese and MLB career are the most for any player at baseball’s top levels, 111 more than Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256. He also holds the single-season record with 262 hits set in 2004.
His MLB success paved the way for fellow Japanese stars like Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani in the years that followed.
Ichiro has remained a baseball card favorite in part because of his Rookie Cards. He appeared in dozens of releases alongside fellow MLB rookie Albert Pujols. His RCs range in cost from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Some are serial-numbered. Some include game-used items. Some feature text in Japanese.
If you don’t know where to start building your collection of the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, check out this guide to Ichiro’s Rookie Cards.
Ichiro Rookie Cards
2001 Absolute Memorabilia #195 Rookie Premiere Materials /700
This RC doubles as a keepsake because it contains a piece of a base from Ichiro’s MLB debut.
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2001 Bowman Chrome #351A/#351B English and Japan versions
One of Ichiro’s iconic cards features text on the card back in either English or Japanese. The refractor cards were only available through redemptions, making them — and especially the gold and X-fractor parallel versions — a bit hard to find and highly sought.
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2001 Bowman Draft #BDP84
Since Ichiro wasn’t included in 2001 Bowman, this card represents a worthy alternative.
2001 Bowman Heritage #352 SP
This set, a throwback to the 1948 Bowman design, features a black and white photo of Ichiro on the card front.
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2001 Bowman’s Best #162 /2999
Ichiro was included in a serial-numbered rookies subset alongside fellow legend Albert Pujols and some less-memorable players like Brad Cresse and Adam Pettyjohn.
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2001 Donruss #195 Rated Rookie
Ichiro got Rated Rookie treatment in this release, which honored the 20th anniversary of the first Donruss baseball set.
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2001 Donruss Class of 2001 #251 Rookie Phenoms /625
An affordable serial-numbered rookie of baseball’s best contact hitter.
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2001 Donruss Classics #146 /585
Donruss Classics was devoted to blending baseball’s past and present, so Ichiro was definitely a worthy addition. Ichiro’s RC from the product is numbered to 585 copies.
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2001 Donruss Elite #195 /1000
Ichiro’s Elite RC features foil on the front and is serial-numbered to 1,000.
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2001 Donruss Signature Series #146 /330
Despite the product name, Ichiro’s RC for Signature Series was not autographed but is limited to 330 copies.
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2001 E-X #105 /1999
One of the iconic card releases from the late 1990s and early 2000s, E-X featured Ichiro against a background of Mariners teal.
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2001 Fleer Authority #101 /2001
This clean card design shows Ichiro following through on his beautiful swing.
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2001 Fleer Focus #247 /999
The “focus” was on Ichiro in 2001, including on this numbered RC.
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2001 Fleer Futures #230 /2499
Given the plentiful print run, this remains an affordable serial-numbered card from Ichiro’s debut MLB season.
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2001 Fleer Game Time #91 Next Game /2000
The back of this card highlighted Ichiro’s “silky smooth swing” and suggested he would be a “valuable weapon” near the top of the Mariners’ lineup.
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2001 Fleer Genuine #101 Genuine Upside /1500
Another Fleer product with a plentiful serial-numbered RC of Ichiro.
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2001 Fleer Legacy #101 /799
Ichiro’s Fleer Legacy RC shows him bunting, which was one tool in his arsenal to reach first base.
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2001 Fleer Platinum #252
Ichiro appears on many different designs in Fleer Platinum, including a dual prospect card alongside Angels prospect Elpidio Guzman, who never reached the majors.
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2001 Fleer Premium #231 /1999
This “premium” RC can be found for reasonable prices today and features a black border.
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2001 Fleer Showcase #116 Rookie Avant Card /500
Ichiro’s Rookie Avant Card shows the superstar in motion, following through on a probable base hit.
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2001 Fleer Tradition #452
This throwback product included Ichiro in its factory set.
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2001 Fleer Triple Crown #306 /2999
The front of Ichiro’s Triple Crown card shows him on the basepaths, a place he often found himself.
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2001 Leaf Certified Materials #146 Freshman Fabric Base /200
One of Ichiro’s harder-to-find RCs includes a piece of a base from his first MLB game.
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2001 Leaf Limited #374 Base /100
This RC, which also includes a game-used base piece, was limited to only 100 copies.
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2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars #251
Ichiro was a rookie and a star, and his card in this product, while relatively inexpensive, wasn’t easy to pull from packs.
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2001 MLB Showdown Pennant Run FOIL #169
Ichiro appears in an expansion release for the game product. Smartly, he has a 10 rating for getting on base.
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2001 SP Authentic #91 Future Watch /1250
One of Ichiro’s prettiest RCs shows him preparing to throw a ball from the outfield.
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2001 SP Game Bat Milestone #91 BAT /500
This RC includes a game-used piece of Ichiro’s bat branded with the Mariners logo.
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2001 SP Game-Used Edition #63 Super Prospects /500
Ichiro was indeed a super prospect. This card, despite the product’s name, does not feature game-used material on it.
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2001 SPx #150 JSY AU
One of Ichiro’s iconic cards, and his first pack-inserted autograph, this card features a piece of his jersey and an autograph. This remains a centerpiece (and an expensive one, at that) for any Ichiro collection.
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2001 Studio #186 /700
Ichiro got his portrait treatment for Studio, appearing on this clean, well-designed card.
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2001 Sweet Spot #62 Sweet Beginnings /1000
Ichiro had a sweet beginning to his MLB career, and this early-year release was one of his first cards on the Mariners.
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2001 Topps #726
Ichiro was included in Series 2 of Topps’ flagship product. The green-bordered card shows the star player in the outfield.
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2001 Topps Chrome Traded #T266
While Ichiro, due to a licensing issue, didn’t appear on Topps Chrome, a Chrome version of his Topps RC was featured in Topps Traded & Rookies, which included a mix of base and chrome cards. Ichiro also appeared on cards alongside his fellow 2001 breakout rookie, Pujols. Chrome of that era wasn’t overloaded with parallels. In fact, the dual Topps/Chrome release only had one Chrome parallel, but it was a special one: Retrofractors. The innovative cards have graystock backs and chromium fronts. Ichiro’s Chrome RC remains popular for collectors, and the Retrofractor is among his more expensive and sought after releases.
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2001 Topps Gallery #151A/#151B English and Japanese
Hang this one in a museum! Ichiro’s Gallery RCs show a portrait by artist Ron Stark.
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2001 Topps Reserve #151 /1500
This card, with a plain design, includes gold serial-numbering on the left side of the card back.
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2001 UD Reserve #181 SP /2500
The back of Ichiro’s Reserve RC notes his first MLB home run, a 10th-inning blast against the Rangers’ Jeff Zimmerman, on April 6, 2001.
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2001 Ultimate Collection #120 AU /250
One of Ichiro’s most valuable and sought-after RCs was included in this high-end Upper Deck product.
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2001 Ultra #278
Ichiro appears alongside fellow Japan native Tsuyoshi Shinjo on this affordable card.
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2001 Upper Deck #271
As with other Upper Deck flagship releases from the time period, the 2001 design is simple and clean and presents a full-bleed image of Ichiro batting.
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2001 Upper Deck Evolution #91 E-Prospects /2250
Ichiro appears against a red background on this serial-numbered card.
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2001 Upper Deck Gold Glove #135 Golden Debuts /500
It’s only fitting that the fielding marvel was featured in Upper Deck’s defensive-focused product.
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2001 Upper Deck MVP #60
MVP was an affordable release, and Ichiro’s rookie card from the product remains easy to find for $10 or less.
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2001 Upper Deck Ovation #76 World Premiere /2000
The international star was a smart inclusion in this World Premiere subset in Ovation. The serial number appears near the bottom of the front of the card.
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2001 Upper Deck Pros and Prospects #136 JSY /500
Ichiro has a handful of RCs featuring game-used materials, including this card, which has a nice-sized jersey window.
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2001 Upper Deck Victory #564
This no-frills product featured one of Ichiro’s first MLB cards.
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2001 Upper Deck Vintage #346
Here’s your chance to own a RC of Mariners prospects Ryan Franklin and Ryan Christianson … and some other player with them.
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Looking for other rookie card guides? Check out guides on Shohei Ohtani and Paul Skenes here!
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