Some high grade Hall of Famers from the tobacco card era were among the big sellers in Goodwin & Company’s latest auction.

The holidays are coming and stock portfolios continue to fall but collectors are still willing to invest in the future of old baseball cards.

Goodwin & Company closed out its 2008 auction schedule late last week with its Masterpieces & Uncommon Commons XIX sale. Leading the way was a T206 Walter Johnson "hands at chest" version graded PSA 9. The minty specimen from the last century sold for $47,853.

Total take for the 900+ lot auction, including the 17.5% company buyer’s premium, was $822,833.

Pre-World War II Hall of Famers were again the focus of much of the bidding. Aside from a 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie graded SGC 96 (mint), which sold for $27,010, five of the top seven realized prices were for lots that were nearly a century old. The list included:

• T206 Rube Marquard PSA 9 $21,580
• 1909 E90-1 American Caramel Joe Jackson rookie card PSA 3 $20,089
• 1911 T3 Turkey Red Ty Cobb with checklist back PSA 5 $18,262
• 1915 Cracker Jack Honus Wagner PSA 8 $15,630
• 1910 Tip Top Honus Wagner SGC 30 $14,394
• 134 different T206 cards with 31 Hall of Famers and 69 graded $10,812

A 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card graded PSA 7, brought $11,166 while a Roger Maris autographed baseball sold for $5,142.