Bidding for the partial box of 1948 Bowman baseball packs in Mile High Card Company’s 
new auction soared to over $121,000 in the first 48 hours of bidding.
The one-of-a-kind was just part of an incredible find of unopened material dating back more than a half-century. Consigned by the nephew of an elderly Tennessee woman, the boxes had been stored for decades inside a cardboard case that once held Stroh’s beer. Bidding for the ’48 Bowman box started Tuesday at $50,000.
Also generating a lot of early interest is another vintage wax gem from the find: a full 24-pack 1961-62 Fleer basketball box. Featuring the rookie cards of Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the box jumped to $47,152 on the first day of bidding. Boxes of 1961 and ’62 Topps football had approached $40,000 combined.
The auction h
as more than pricey vintage unopened, however. Mile High is also offering the breakup of the 12th rated 1952 Topps set on the PSA Set Registry including a #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 4.5 and the #1 ranked 1956 Topps master set with all of the gray and white back variations. If the aggregate total bidding on the cards from each set is more than the highest bids on the complete sets, the cards will be sold individually.
Key Mickey Mantle cards being offered include another ’52 Topps, this one rated PSA 6, a 1951 Bowman rookie card graded SGC 84 (NM), a 1953 Topps PSA 7 and the only PSA 10 1951 Wheaties #G Mantle Premium Photo.
Other notable cards include 1948-49 Leaf #98 Hal Newhouser SGC 86 NM+ 7.5, 1952 Topps #33 Warren Spahn Black PSA 9 MINT, 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson PSA 8.5 NM/MT+, 1955 Topps #123 Sandy Koufax PSA 8 NM/MT, 1968 Topps #177 Nolan Ryan PSA 9 MINT, 1957 Topps 377 Bill Russell PSA 8 NM/MT, 1961 Fleer #3 Elgin Baylor PSA 9 MINT, 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson PSA 9 MINT and 1957 Topps #138 John Unitas SGC 88 NM/MT 8.
Also up for grabs are dozens of complete baseball card sets that span from 1939 Play Ball through the 1950s and 1960s.
A Jackie Robinson Single-Signed ONL (Giles) Ball and a Jimmie Foxx Single Signed AOL (Cronin) Ball head up an extensive list of team and single-signed autographed baseballs that will be sold when the auction comes to a close on Thursday, June 15.
MHCC is already in the process of lining up items for their September auction. Interested consignors can call (303) 840-2784, visit the company’s website or stop by their booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago July 26-30.
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