Steve Aoki is well known as a prolific EDM producer and DJ, but many fans may not be aware of his impact and collection in the niche but passionate world of baseball cards. While music is his primary career, Aoki has had a lifelong love and extensive knowledge of baseball since his childhood. This passion project has resulted in one of the most unique and valuable private baseball card collections in existence.
Aoki grew up in Newport Beach, California as the son of Rocky Aoki, the founder of Benihana. While a successful businessman, Rocky also instilled a love of America’s pastime in his son at a young age. Steve began collecting cards in the early 1980s as a kid, starting with commons from packs but quickly expanding his wants lists to chase rarer and older issues. Throughout high school and college, he steadily grew his collection through trades, purchases at card shows and shops, and online forums like SportsCollectorsDaily.
By the late 1990s, Aoki had amassed a sizable collection numbering in the tens of thousands focused on the 1950s and 1960s. It was at this point he had an epiphany – instead of collecting for the sake of completion or monetary value, he wanted to curate a collection that told the visual story and cultural history of the sport through the cards themselves. He began targeting the rarest and most iconic issues, regardless of condition or price tag. This singular focus and willingness to spend what it took transformed his collection into a true obsession.
Within a few short years, Aoki acquired arguably his most prized possession – a 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner, considered the Holy Grail of cards. Graded a lowly Good 2 by SGC, its flaws didn’t deter its new owner. For Aoki, the card represented the dawn of the modern baseball card era and one of the first superstars. He has since picked up multiple examples of other highly coveted pre-war issues like the T205 White Border set. Through passionate searching and deep pockets, his collection grew to include examples that many thought were lost to history.
In the modern era, Aoki has just as focused an eye. He owns pristine specimens of iconic 1960s issues like the 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie, and 1969 Topps Willie Mays all earning BGS or PSA Gem Mint 10 grades, the gold standard for preservation. For 1950s cardboard, his prized piece may be an impeccable 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson, the first Black ballplayer in the modern Major Leagues. Through Robinson and players that followed, these cards narrate the social progress occurring simultaneously in America.
Aoki’s collection continues expanding in scope to this day. He obtains new treasures through continued searching, spends tens if not hundreds of thousands at major auction houses, and even launches his own lines in partnership with companies like Upper Deck. His 2011 book “Stevetendo” dove into his dual passions for cards and video games. With upwards of a million cards now in his possession, likely no one alive can claim a more comprehensive archive of the culture and history encapsulated within the cardboard.
While few will see it except through private showings, Aoki’s goal is for his outstanding card library to eventually find a home in a baseball Hall of Fame, library or museum for public enjoyment after his passing. When discussing motivations, he cites how amazed he remains by the stories within each individual card and set, from representations of past players to snapshots of social movements. “Cards are like little pieces of Americana,” Aoki remarked in an interview. “They’re almost like art in a way.” For a DJ at the forefront of EDM, his appreciation for the artistry of baseball cards ensures this niche passion will remain intensely documented for generations to come.
