High grade 1950s baseball sets and a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle are among the items now up for sale through Charitybuzz, a well-known platform that’s entering the trading card space as it pledges to donate some of the proceeds from its auction to non-profit causes.
Their Premiere Trading Card Auction includes the eighth best 1951 Bowman set on the PSA Set Registry; the fifth best 1953 Topps set, the 15th best 1952 Topps set and the 23rd best 1957 Topps set, a fully graded 1986-87 Fleer Basketball set as well as the ’52 Mantle and a few other individual star cards.
Charitybuzz says a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Inspiring Childrens Foundation, which helps kids “struggling with financial hardship, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation by giving them the ultimate environment to survive, then thrive, at the highest levels.”
Two dozen sports trading card lots are listed, most of them higher-end lots but with a few that are expected to sell for $1,000 or so. Other lots being offered include a 1965 Topps Football set with a PSA 6 Joe Namath rookie, a 1955 Topps All-Americans set and a 1979-80 OPC Hockey set. There’s also a BGS 7.5 1984-85 Star Company Michael Jordan rookie card, a PSA 9 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax and a 1928 Babe Ruth Candy Company card.
Each card in the 1952 Topps set has been graded PSA 7, 8 or 9 with the Mantle and Willie Mays cards rating 7, the Roy Campanella an 8 and the Jackie Robinson a 6. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $2 million.
The 1953 Topps set has a GPA of 8.09 and includes a PSA 8 Robinson, a PSA 9 Campanella and a PSA 7 Mantle. It also has a seven-figure estimate. The Mantle and Mays rookie cards in the 1951 Bowman set each carry NM 7 grades.
Five percent of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Inspiring Children’s Foundation.
“ICF is excited and grateful for this opportunity, since five percent of these high-value items is quite significant for the work they do,” stated Janai Speer, Senior Director of Special Projects for Charity Network, which is helping coordinate the auction.
Charitybuzz says it has raised more than $500 million for causes to date. The organization typically works with entertainers, athletes and others on auctions that offer experiences with them as fundraisers for various causes, but memorabilia and tickets are also part of their other offerings.
Buyer’s premiums in the sports card auction range from 10 percent for items that sell for over $50,000 to 15 percent for those that sell for under $10,000.
The auction runs through October 28 with lots set to begin closing at 3:01 PM Eastern time.