While a couple of Kobe Bryant items are generating most of the headlines, a high-grade copy of a popular pre-War baseball card slipped into SCP Auctions’ catalog just as the company’s Spring auction launched last month.
One of just three 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig (#92) cards graded Mint 9 by SGC instantly became one of the key items in the auction. Bidding had passed $88,000 heading into the final two days of the auction, which is set to close Saturday night.
The same card sold in May of last year for $156,000. A PSA 9 from the Manny Gordon Collection sold last month at auction for $672,000 while a PSA 8 netted nearly $158,000 late last year.
Also arriving late to the auction was one of only eight ticket stubs from Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers debut authenticated by PSA. Rated Authentic, the stub has a current bid of over $119,000.
The only Kobe Bryant game worn jersey ever to be photo matched to his appearances in the playoffs of his rookie season has passed the million dollar mark. SCP is estimating the jersey will reach at least $3 million Saturday night.
Another sought-after item is the only known autographed example of Bryuant’s 1997 Skybox Metal Universe PMG. The PSA Authentic Altered card with a Mint 9 autograph is numbered 60/100 and is the first and only known example ever offered publicly. This card sits at $207,141 as of this writing.
A pair of early Mickey Mantle cards have also generated strong interest. A PSA 8 copy of his his 1951 Bowman 8 is at $342,379 while his 1952 Topps graded SGC EX-NM 6 is up to $94,160.
A Babe Ruth game bat, an autographed Goudey Ruth card and the ball hit by Barry Bonds for his 715th homer are among the more than 900 lots on the block.