Huggins and Scott Auctions will offer a 1952 Topps “Super Set of 579 PSA graded cards including 29 uncatalogued color/printing variations and two Mickey Mantle cards in its Masterpiece Auction opening Monday, July 29.
With both a weighted GPA and set rating of 6.36, good for third place on the competitive PSA Registry, Huggins and Scott says it is the only confirmed offering in the industry that is 100% complete. One Mantle is a PSA 7 while the other is graded PSA 6 Miscut).
The two Mantle cards highlight subtle variations collectors have come to know. The first Mantle variation features a richer, blue background and different color skin tones; one appearing with a warmer look than the other. There are also other small differences between the two cards depending on when they were printed, most notably on the back of the cards as was highlighted in a 2011 article on PSA’s website.
On the reverse of the ‘warmer’ Mantle rookie, you’ll find the stitches on the ball are aligned to the left (we’ve provided close-up photos to make it easier to see). And, on the front, you’ll notice after careful scrutiny that there is a solid black line around the Yankees logo. What’s more, the ‘e’ at the end of Mantle’s facsimile signature has an upward-point tail to it.
On the ‘colder’ Mantle card, the stitches on the ball align to the right, while the solid black line around the Yankees logo is broken. And the ‘e’ at the end of his signature is missing the tail. -PSAcard.com
Bidding for the 1952 Topps “Super Set” will open at $25,000 but will likely go significantly higher.
The auction will again contain hundreds of lots featuring vintage sports cards, with both graded and raw examples from a variety of designations, including a scarce 1910 Top Top Bread Barney Dreyfuss SGC 50; a 1915 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson (PSA 1); the highest graded 1921 Tip Top Lefty Grove pre-rookie card (SGC 30); complete sets of N43 Baseball Players, E95 Philadelphia Caramel (with SGC 60 Honus Wagner), W517s and more; a PM1 Ornate Frame Christy Mathewson; a wide variety of Goudey Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig cards and more.
Huggins and Scott will feature what it calls an “unusually large number” of complete and near sets from 1948-1973. The auction will also offer several hard-to-find regional and oddball Willie Mays cards including a Stahl-Meyer, a Briggs, a 1958 Hires Test, 1968 Plaks Checklist, a File Copy of a rare 1954 Willie Mays Comic Book and the highest graded examples of a 1958 Pac-Bell and 1961 7-11.
As with all of Huggins and Scott Auctions, there are a large number of autographed lots including baseballs, bats, lithographs, photographs and others consigned by collectors from all across the country.
Highlights include: a 1935 American League Team-Signed Scroll with (178) signatures including Gehrig; a high-grade single-signed Roger Maris bat; a 1973 Joe Torre All-Star game bat signed by the NL All-Stars; a 1949 AL All-Star team-signed baseball, numerous early baseball autographs, a collection from Max Carey’s family of several personal effects and more.
Babe Ruth collectors should be keenly interested in a 1914 St. Mary’s Industrial school program with a photo of Babe Ruth from his final year there; an 1894 Baltimore Orioles 
Championship team picture, a 1906 Eastern League Sterling Silver Trophy presented to Bill Byers of the Orioles; a pair of 1921 IL Champs Orioles Diamond Pin and Pendant; an extremely scarce 1933 Honus Wagner Day Committee Pin and much more.
Game-used and game-worn items include a 1950s New York Giants full-length bullpen jacket and a 1961-65 Willie Mays warm-up jacket; Cal Ripken Jr’s 1999 “Turn Ahead the Clock” game-used jersey, pants and shoes with video photo matching; Roberto Clemente’s 1959 game-used batting helmet; 1972 game-used Orioles hats from Brooks Robinson and Earl Weaver and a game-used Ripken jersey.
Other sports pieces include items from George Sauer Sr and Jr including a 1965-67 Jets game-used jersey; a 1936 Green Bay Packers Trophy Ball and team-signed photograph; a scarce Charley Bidwell autograph and the #9 PSA registered 1935 Chicle Football set.
From the hardwood comes the “holy grail” of modern basketball cards: 2003-04 Exquisite LeBron James rookie auto/patch card BGS 9.5; a selection of game-used jerseys/warm-ups with Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Doug Collins and more; a rare 1955 Overbrook HS Senior Yearbook period-signed by Wilt Chamberlain and a 1982 UNC Tarheels team-signed ball with Michael Jordan.
Bidding opens Monday, July 29 and closes Thursday night August 8th with the 30-minute rule beginning at 11:00pm eastern time. A number of the premium pieces will be on display at our booth (#716-718) at the National Convention in Chicago, July 31-August 4.
To browse the auction or to download the catalog, visit the website: www.hugginsandscott.com.
