A 1916 M101-5 blank bank Babe Ruth rookie card graded 70 by SGC sold for $294,000 including a 20% buyer’s premium in Goldin Auctions’ “Great American Trading Card Auction” early Sunday. The card was one of two graded by SGC at that level with none higher.
The second highest price went to a 1952 Topps Willie Mays rated 9 by PSA which sold for $245,000k. One of nine at that level, it carried a pre-sale estimate of $375,000.
A PSA 9 1954 Topps Ernie Banks rookie card soared to $69,825 in the auction, which featured 100 lots of rare and/or high-grade trading cards across all sports.
Some modern era basketball items caught bidders’ eyes. A 1986-87 Fleer basketball wax box, authenticated by BBCE, rocketed to $62,475 while a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck Exquisite auto relic rookie, numbered 23 of 75 and graded PSA 9, sold for $62,475.
Early Friday morning, Goodwin Auctions sold a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded SGC 55 for $51,450, a 1908 Rose Postcard of Ty Cobb (one of only eight graded by all authentication firms) for $45,578 and a 1912 Plow’s Candy Cobb graded PSA 4 for $29,111.
One of the hobby’s hottest cards has been the 1925 Lou Gehrig rookie era Exhibit. Love of the Game Auctions sold an SGC 40 example of the Gehrig in its auction for $33,210 early Sunday. Goodwin sold a low grade example for $19,927.
LOTG also sold a 1913 Voskamp’s Coffee card of Honus Wagner rated SGC 40 for $22,140.