The coveted Shohei Ohtani 50/50 home run ball has been delivered to collectors marketplace Goldin and bidding begins Friday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star is the only player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. He hit three home runs and stole two bases in the same game against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19, making baseball history.

“This was one of the easiest (sends) ever,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, told ESPN. “Ohtani (reached 50) on Thursday, literally on Friday we heard from the guy, he contacted Goldin on his own through social media, flew a security guard with a Goldin representative to Miami on Monday, met with him and flew back on Monday.”

For now, the consignor wishes to remain anonymous, although photos of him have surfaced online. Goldin says he has not spoken to any other auction house: “This is one of those cases where our reputation for getting the absolute highest price on hot items came into play… frankly, we had no competition at all.”

Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 reported that the Dodgers originally offered $300,000 to the fan who caught Ohtani’s 50th home run. The Dodgers could not be reached for comment by ESPN. Goldin confirmed that “there was an offer from the Dodgers and he turned it down.”

The opening bid at Goldin, now owned by eBay, is $500,000. Potential buyers “will have the opportunity to purchase the baseball outright exclusively for $4,500,000 between September 27 and October 9. However, if the bidding reaches $3,000,000 before October 9, the option to purchase privately will no longer be available and interested parties will have to compete and bid for the baseball.”

Extended bidding begins on October 16 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

“In my view, the best way to go about it was by auction as soon as possible,” Goldin said. “It’s about time; the Dodgers are making the playoffs, Ohtani will easily be the most valuable player, so let’s do this while Ohtani is on everyone’s mind – and what was also very important to the consignor is the worldwide and global reach that both Goldin and eBay have. It’s entirely possible that someone outside of the United States could win this baseball.”

The ball has black scratches and surface abrasions. The plate beneath the “Official Major League Baseball” imprint contains a worn MLB batter logo and the baseball has an MLB authenticated hologram affixed to it.

The current record paid for a baseball is the $3.05 million paid by comic book writer and McFarlane Toys empire magnate Todd McFarlane for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball in 1999. McFarlane told The Athletic in 2022 that he owns Barry Bonds’ 73rd from the 2001 season as well as Sammy Sosa’s 66th from 1999.

In late 2022, also with Goldin, Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd American League home run ball sold for $1.5 million. Seller Cory Youmans caught Judge’s record-breaker at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, turned down a $3 million offer for the ball and offered it for auction. The $1.5 million paid for Judge’s 62nd ball is still the second most expensive baseball ever sold at auction.

“Ohtani is, in my opinion, a unique athlete the likes of which have never been seen in baseball and may never be seen again,” Goldin said. “He’s a guy who can steal 60 bases and win the Triple Crown at the same time. And let’s not forget that when he’s healthy, he’s a Cy Young-worthy pitcher.”

“So, I think as an individual, he is so incredibly unique and has such otherworldly talent. (He is) the total package and he’s playing in Hollywood. That’s the perfect scenario, he’s the perfect baseball player and he’s going to be the face of Major League Baseball for the next 10+ years. What he can accomplish from now until he retires may never be accomplished again.”