Pristine vintage cardboard again drew a large contingent of bidders to the auction block as Memory Lane wrapped up its Spring Auction early Sunday morning. Chasing high-grade rookie cards, stars, sets and tough to find singles along with notable memorabilia pieces, they pushed the final sales total over the $1.86 million mark.
Top billing in the auction went to a PSA 9 (mint) Ernie Banks 1954 Topps rookie card which sold for $74,400, the highest auction price attained by the same card in the same grade since Memory Lane sold one for a similar amount in 2016. Runner up was a PSA 8.5 1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie, which is headed to a new home for $64,800.
The auction contained dozens of cards at seldom seen highest-grade levels. One of the two PSA 10 1961 Topps Roberto Clemente cards in existence soared to $43,200 while a 1963 Topps Clemente in the same grade and also one of just two 10s, netted $37,200.
One of only two 1948 Bowman Stan Musial rookie cards rated 96 (mint) on SGC’s Population Report landed at $24,260. A fresh-to-the-hobby and newly graded PSA 9 1952 Red Man Musial (one of three 9’s in existence) reached nearly $13,000.
As usual, Mickey Mantle cards were a big draw, highlighted by a PSA 10 1959 Topps #461 ($14,000) and a 1969 Topps ‘White Letter’ variation ($12,800). A PSA 10 1959 Topps card of Mantle’s teammate Whitey Ford rocketed to $10,359.
Strong selling prices weren’t limited to Hall of Famers, though. 1959 Topps cards of Curt Flood, Don Zimmer and Billy Bruton, all rated PSA 10, sold for over $15,000 combined. A tough PSA 9 1962 Topps Camilio Pascual netted
$4,603.
Other football card highlights included a 1935 National Chicle Knute Rockne graded PSA 9 ($14,660) and one of only two PSA 10 1951 Bowman Tom Landry rookie cards ($13,460).
Among the more unique pieces in the auction was a 1989 Poloroid photo of the original image that was used in the production of Ken Griffey Jr.’s iconic Upper Deck debut card. Owned by a former Upper Deck executive, the photo generated a lot of interest before closing at $13,888.
Other items included a document carrying the rare signature of 19th century baseball great John Montgomery Ward ($10,360), a 1930’s Lou Gehrig autographed postcard ($8,332) and an original Charles Conlon Type 1 photo of Ty Cobb ($7,075).
Memory Lane is now accepting consignments for its Summer Auction. For more information, contact them via their website or call 877.606.LANE (5263).
Related Stories:
PSA’s June Grading Tally: 736,000 Cards, Including Mountain of MJ
Vintage Pack Facts 1965 Topps Football
30th Anniversary Spotlight: Looking Back at the 1989 Scoremasters Set
1969 Eskimo Pie Football Set is Unusual, Rare
Notes: Namath RC Record; Elite Cards Update; Dave Bing’s Stuff; Koufax Signs
Investment Targets in Baseball’s ‘Golden Age’
1965 Topps Joe Namath Rookie Card Sells for $60,000
1954 Clemente Winter League Contract, Ruth, Young Autos Part of Auction
