Mile High Card Company officials are feeling sky high about the items the Colorado-based business is offering in its August Catalog Auction.
The biggest highlights: a baseball signed by Babe Ruth,
and a ball inscribed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith in 1937. In addition, a graded 1952 Topps set rated No. 10 on the PSA registry also will be on the block.
The event begins July 25 and runs through August 18, but Mile High will be showcasing these items as part of “the strongest and most comprehensive” auctions in company history at the 37th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention that begins A
ugust 3 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“We’ve always been the industry leader in high-grade sports cards, and this auction is loaded with them, but our selection of game-used and autographed items is truly impressive as well.” Mile High president Brian Drent said in a news release.
The inscribed FDR baseball was attributed to Opening Day in 1937 and bore the stamp of American League president Will Harridge. It is one of several autographed baseballs offered at auction. Others include a 1938 baseball with 21 signatures, including Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio; a 1931 baseball signed by the Yankees, including the autographs of Ruth and Gehrig; and a 1927 Washington Senators baseball si
gned by Hall of Famers Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker.
The 1952 Topps set will be offered both as a complete collection and as individual lots, and will be sold in whichever format results in the most revenue. The cards include a PSA 7 Mickey Mantle (No. 311), PSA 7 Willie Mays (No. 261) and a PSA 7 Andy Pafko (No. 1). High-numbered cards in 
the lot include a PSA 7 Jackie Robinson (No. 312), a PSA 8 Roy Campanella (No. 314) and a PSA 7 Eddie Mathews (No. 407).
Some other high-profile cards that will be auctioned off include a T206 Piedmont portrait card of Walter Johnson, graded PSA8; 1933 Goudey cards of Babe Ruth (No. 149) graded PSA
9 but off-center, and No. 181 graded PSA6; a near-mint/mint graded No. 1 Jackie Robinson card from the 1953 Topps set; and a 1953 Topps card of Mantle (No. 82) graded PSA8. A PSA 10 1961 Hank Aaron (No. 577) and a 1959 Topps Mantle (No. 10) are featured among the higher-graded cards.
Another highlight is a complete, graded 1935 Goudey set (ranked 14th on the PSA registry) and a full, unopened wax box of 1986-87 Fleer basketball. Plenty of postwar graded cards, including some of the biggest names in sports, are up for grab
s. Here are a few examples: a 1968 Nolan Ryan rookie card, graded PSA 8, a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente RC graded PSA 8, a 1963 Pete Rose rookie graded PSA 8 and a 1959 Bob Gibson rookie graded PSA 9. Also, a 1965 Joe Namath football rookie graded PSA 8 and a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan basketball rookie card graded PSA 9 are part of Mile High’s catalog.
Game-used uniforms also will be in evidence, with a 1979-80 Larry Bird rookie season complete uniform graded MEARS A10 as a highlight. Other examples include a 1969-70 Reggie Jackson game-worn green mist vest-style flannel jersey, a 1979-81 era Joe Montana game-used jersey and a Joe Namath home jersey from 1977 when he finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams.
Mile High will be showing off many of these items at the National, in booths 1401 and 1405.
Related Stories:
1952 Topps High Numbers Test Even Advanced Collectors
Vintage Rookies Lead Way in Heritage Summer Card Auction
Toughest High-Grade 1952 Topps High Numbers
Vintage Baseball Card Collection on Antiques Roadshow Draws a ‘Wow’
Vintage Set Break of the Week: 1952 Topps
Notes: Fed vs. Card Market; $100K MJ Update; ’27 Yankee Ball; Montreal Collection
6-Figure Memorabilia Draw; 1952 Topps Break at NSCC
1952 Topps Mantle PSA 8 Sells for $486,100
1952 Topps Case is Baseball Card History
Ruth Memorabilia Sets Pace in $8.37 Million REA Sale
