The market for high quality, original photographs continues to sizzle. Several classic and rare images brought five-figure prices in the Premier Live event conducted by Hunt Auctions on Wednesday. The sale of hundreds of photos was led by a Type III Ty Cobb image—the same one used to create one of his T206 cards—which sold for $44,062. A Carl Horner studio portrait of Cy Young wasn’t far behind, netting $41,125 including the 17.5% buyer’s premium.
Curated over a thirty-year period by an east coast collector and fan, the consignment included works by numerous photographers who’ve become synonymous with baseball imagery including Louis Van Oeyen, Charles Conlon, George Grantham Bain, and Leroy Merriken. Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Jackie Robinson, Joe Jackson, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, and numerous historic team photos were among the lots. Some dated to the 19th century while others were taken as late as the 1960s.
“The prices attained for the collection were absolutely stunning,” said David Hunt, President of Hunt Auctions. “But not completely unexpected given the significance of this particular collection.”
In addition to the Cobb and Young photos, other sales included:
- “Shoeless” Joe Jackson photograph c.1919 (PSA/DNA Type I) $18,800
- Lou Gehrig rookie era photograph c.1925 (W590 card image) $23,500
- Rube Waddell cabinet photograph by Carl Horner $22,325
- Babe Ruth photograph c.1929 attributed to Leroy Merikken $9,400
- Lou Gehrig Farewell photograph (PSA/DNA Type I) $32,312
Hunt Auctions’ next live auction event will be the Personal Collection of Babe Ruth which will take place on June 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. A very limited amount of high quality consignments are being accepted for the auction. For information, contact [email protected].
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