Following a record-setting 2016 in which prices for sports and entertainment memorabilia reached new heights, Goldin Auctions kicks-off 2017 with its Winter Auction, a 1,300+ lot event that kicked off Monday morning and will run through January 28 at www.GoldinAuctions.com.
Among the items expected to see heavy bidding action are a high-grade 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle rookie card (SGC 86 NM+ 7.5); a pair of Michael Jordan game-used Bulls jerseys; a 1984-87 Walter Payton Chicago Bears full game-used road uniform; plus 30 lots of 2005-06 Upper Deck NHL “The Cup” and “The Shield” 1/1 trading cards being offered for sale for the first-time.
The nearly 300 different lots of trading cards also include three more Mantle rookies — one graded PSA 6, another graded SGC 50 and the fourth rated SGC 30. Other high-grade vintage rookie card lots include; a Johnny Unitas (1957 Topps #18 PSA-NM 8), Jim Brown (1958 Topps #62 PSA NM-MT 8), Michael Jordan (1984-85 Star #101 signed BGC NM+ 7.5/BGS 10); Roberto Clemente (1955 Topps #164 PSA MT-NM 8), Hank Aaron (1954 Topps #128 PSA NM-MT 8), Ernie Banks (1954 Topps #94 PSA NM-MT 8); Nolan Ryan (1968 Topps #177 GAI NM-MT + 8.5) and many more.
Just seven of the more than 400 1952 Topps Mantles on SGC’s population report grade higher than the 86 being offered by Goldin.
Payton’s uniform includes the white road jersey, navy pants and special “Sweetness” towel he wore tucked inside them. Graded MEARS 10, the uniform also includes a letter of authenticity from the Bears’ equipment manager at the time, Gary Hager.
One of the Jordan jersey dates from an April 1998 game against Minnesota in which he scored 41 points and surpassed 29,000 for his career, becoming the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer. The jersey comes with a full LOA from the Bulls and a certificate from Resolution photo-matching.
The second Jordan jersey was worn during an October 1997 game at the McDonald’s Championships in Paris, with Jordan scoring 28 points against PSG Racing. The jersey is photo-matched and authenticated by MEARS (A10) and MeiGray.
There is also a MEARS A7 Ty Cobb game model Hillerich & Bradsby bat from the latter part of his Hall of Fame career and game model bats from Joe DiMaggio and Jimmie Foxx dating from the late 1930s or early 40s.
Here’s a look at some of the other auction highlights.
Lot #5 – 2014-5 LeBron James Game Used Cavs Road Jersey – Worn on 11/7/14 in the Cavs 110-101 win at Denver in which James posted 22 points 11 assists and 7 rebounds. The jersey has been photo-matched with a full LOA from MeiGrey.
Lot #8 – 2001 Roberto Alomar Rawlings Gold Glove Award – The final of his 10 career Gold Gloves was earned in Cleveland where he committed just 6 errors in 155 games for a .992 fielding percentage.
Lot #22 – 1909-11 T206 White Border PSA EX 5 Collection – 179 different cards including a host of Hall of Famers from the most famous card set in the industry – all graded PSA 5 and most include either a Piedmont or Sweet Corporal branded back.
Lots #222-251 – Upper Deck NHL “The Shield” and “The Cup” 1/1 Insert Cards– 30 different lots featuring high-grade 1/1 insert cards from Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and others. Among the most desirable cards are: 2005/06 The Cup #180 Crosby rookie signed 1/1 BGS Pristine 10; 2005/06 The Cup #180 Crosby rookie signed 1/1 BGS GEM 9.5; and 2005/06 The Cup #DS-LC Lemieux/Crosby NHL Shield Card.
After setting a new record price for rap/hip hop memorabilia last year, the auction features eight more lots of memorabilia from legendary artist Tupac Shakur including his ticket stub from the 1996 Tyson-Selden fight – the event he attended just hours before his murder; and two lots of hand-written letters he from prison in 1995.