An original photograph of Mickey Mantle featuring the iconic image which was utilized for his 1952 Topps baseball card has been sold privately through Hunt Auctions for a record-setting $375,000. It’s the most ever paid for a PSA/DNA authenticated Type I unsigned post-War baseball image. The photo is one of only three Type I examples known to exist. It had previously … [Read more...]
Baseball Card Coverage from 60 Years Ago Reveals Interesting Info on Market
By popular demand, here are a few more nuggets we dug up over the weekend from coverage of the hobby decades ago. In 1959, Topps wax putting 250 million baseball cards and 70 million football on the market, mostly through penny and nickel wax packs. Cello packs were decent sellers, which proved to company officials that in many cases, it wasn't the gum that was the … [Read more...]
REA’s Final 2019 Auction Promises Over 3,000 Lots
The Robert Edward Auctions Fall catalog will arrive shortly and if you get the physical version, you may want to do a few arm curls in preparation. Even with a move from two auctions per year to three in 2019, it’s still a monster. The Fall edition packs nearly 3,100 lots of sports and non-sports cards and memorabilia dating back to the 19th century. It’s the … [Read more...]
Fans Flocked When Young Babe Ruth Signed Baseballs Sold for Charity
The autographed baseball as a fundraiser may not have originated with Babe Ruth but it’s pretty clear he spent a lot of time signing balls for that purpose. Paging through some newspapers from a century ago, I stumbled on a few clippings that make it clear there were plenty of Ruth signed baseballs in circulation by the time he completed his first calendar year with the … [Read more...]
Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964
Think "Topps" and most people think baseball but the truth is, the trading card side of the business always been about pop culture. If it's entertainment or sports and people talk about it or like to collect it, the company is interested. If it'll sell and the licensing is right, it's a candidate for the company's cards, both physical and digital. … [Read more...]
Best Known Example of the ‘Holy Grail of Boxing Cards’ Hits Market
The best known example of the “Honus Wagner of Boxing Cards” has hit the auction block. Heritage Auctions is selling one of perhaps fewer than ten 1948 Leaf Rocky Graziano cards in its Fall Trading Card Catalog. Graded PSA 6.5 (EX/MT+), the card stands as the highest graded in the hobby and could sell for as much as $150,000 or more when bidding concludes next … [Read more...]
2019 Topps Minis a Quick Sellout
The appetite for new on-demand Topps baseball card products seems insatiable these days. Or, there are enough people out there who are certain they can flip what they buy and make a quick profit. Offered late Tuesday morning, the entire allotment of 2019 Topps Mini packs--over 10,000 of them--sold out within about two hours via the company's website. There were … [Read more...]
1982-83 O-Pee-Chee: Going Gaga for Gretzky
Following his historic 1981-82 campaign, most of the hockey world was wild for Edmonton Oilers superstar Wayne Gretzky. While there were still some doubters following a 92-goal, 212-point effort, the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee hockey set was happy to include him on plenty of cards. Heading into this season, American collectors were denied a Topps set and London, Ontario-based … [Read more...]
1869 Peck & Snyder Red Stockings Card Discovered in Cincinnati Area
It only took 150 years, but there's a new card discovery that will be making its way to an auction this fall. Robert Edward Auctions' fall auction, which is set to open on November 20, will feature a newly discovered 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings team CDV. The card, which had not left the greater Cincinnati area in the century and a half since it was produced, was … [Read more...]
2019 Topps World Series Cards Celebrate Nationals Title
Within minutes of the last pitch late Wednesday night, Topps announced three sets of Washington Nationals World Series baseball cards from its on-demand platform. The price depends on the size of the set and whether you’re interested in autographs or not. All will be printed on 16pt glossy trading card stock with a rainbow logo laminate security feature on the … [Read more...]