He hit 60 homers that season, but if you'd pulled his card out of an Exhibit Supply Company machine around that time, you might have seen Babe Ruth showcasing the other side of his game. On Wednesday, collectors had a chance to own an original copy of the same photo but you had to come with a fat wallet to be in the hunt. The 6 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch … [Read more...]
About Rich Mueller
Notes: SoCal Store Featured; Card Donation Milestone; T206, Early Topps Auctions Coming; HFC Jersey Auction
Maybe you’ve participated in one of their breaks or seen the name online but Jaspy’s Hobby Land now has a brick-and-mortar location in Hermosa Beach, CA. The place is also home to those online breaks they’ve been doing for several years. It’s all run by long-time hobbyist Mike Jaspersen and his son, Nick, who were the subject of this feature story in a SoCal online … [Read more...]
Decades-Old Dodgers Financial Documents at Auction
A trove of financial documents for the Dodgers from 1924-1965 which belonged to minority owner James A. Mulvey are on the auction block. Consigned to Nate D. Sanders Auctions directly by the Mulvey family, the never before seen data includes reports prepared by the Dodgers' accounting firm, with detailed income statements and balance sheets, usually on a quarterly or … [Read more...]
Notes: Jersey Sales and Surprises for Old Bears
Patrick Mahomes’ jersey from the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the San Diego Chargers in Mexico City last month just sold for $23,100 through NFL Auctions. The unwashed white garment sported plenty of grass stains. A total of 64 bids were placed on the jersey. Proceeds will go to Mahomes’ foundation which helps young people in … [Read more...]
Family’s Long Search for Rare Card of Great Grandfather Ends Happily
One Oregon family’s history includes a relative that played big league baseball more than 100 years ago. William “Klondike” Douglass had a baseball card, too. The trouble is, it was part of one of the rarest, most desirable pre-War sets ever made. In fact, you can count the known number of 1903 Breisch-Williams cards of the Philadelphia Phillies catcher on … [Read more...]
Packs of Sports Cards Were Once a Grocery Enticement
Ever since tobacco companies used them as collectible package stiffeners for fragile boxes of cigarettes, baseball cards have been inserted into consumer products. They've been in smokes, soda, snack cakes and razor blades--just to name a few. Sometimes, though, the promotion went between their traditional home inside bubble gum card packs and the food products that … [Read more...]
Collins-McCarthy Ruth Paces $8.4 Million REA Sale
The highest graded example of the rare 1917 Collins-McCarthy Babe Ruth card sold for $204,000 late Sunday night as Robert Edward Auctions closed out its third and final catalog sale of 2019. The card was graded 4.5 (VG-EX+) by PSA and stands as the highest graded example on that company's census. Never available in set form, the Collins-McCarthy cards were … [Read more...]
Historic Photos, T206 Near Set, 1933 All-Star Autographs Among Memory Lane Winter Headliners
A collection of nearly 100 historic photos from decades ago, one of the hobby’s top 20 T206 sets, some unique autographed baseballs and thousands of high-grade vintage sports cards will help kick off the holidays at Memory Lane. The Southern California-based company will open its largest auction in 20 years on December 21, with 1,360 lots up for grabs in its Winter … [Read more...]
Sports Card Release Schedule: 12/11/19 – 12/31/19
The 2019 calendar year is winding to a close but collectors will still have some options for holiday ripping. Several new products will arrive by New Year's Eve with none of the major sports left out. Here's a look: 12/11/19 2019/20 Upper Deck Buybacks Hockey Not a totally new concept but back for the first time in a while at Upper Deck, 2019-20 … [Read more...]
Mantle, LeBron, Jeter Among Top Sellers in $9.4 Million Heritage Auction
Regardless of whether they'd been naughty or nice, hundreds of collectors gave themselves the gift of trading cards over the weekend as Heritage Auctions wrapped up its massive three-day Trading Card Auction. Among the over 3,000 lots offered, four sold for six-figure prices, topped by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle graded 8.5 by PSA which netted $765,000 including the 20% … [Read more...]