A near mint-mint pair of Lou Gehrig cards sold for a combined $50,000, pacing the recent I Own it Now online catalog sale conducted by Memory Lane Auctions. The 1933 DeLong and 1932 U. S. Caramel were among the vintage headliners in the event, which allows collectors to buy cards outright or wait a few days in hopes of making a better offer.
Dozens of items changed hands, ranging from 1909 T206 cards of Ty Cobb to an iconic PSA 10 Bo Jackson 1987 Classic issue.
The Delong card of Gehrig, which rated an ‘8’, drew the largest selling price at $30,000. The amount was $6,000 higher than the last time such an example was offered for auction late last year. The U.S. Caramel Gehrig was sold for $20,000.
Another card from 1933 was also a record setter and proved that sometimes ‘common’ cards get uncommon prices. Memory Lane sold a 1933 Goudey #3 Hugh Critz graded PSA 8, for $10,925, believed to be the most ever paid for a card in that grade.
A 1911 T205 gold border Ty Cobb card graded PSA 7 sold for $17,250, approximately $3,000 more than was attained in another company’s auction last fall.
The I Own It Now online catalog included numerous high grade vintage cards including a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle, graded PSA 9. It sold for $14,000. Four other cards carrying PSA 9 grades sold for more than $10,000 including a 1948 Leaf Jake LaMotta boxing card ($11,494), a 1948 Bowman Warren Spahn rookie card ($10,925), a 1957 Topps Frank Robinson ($10,350) and a 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie ($10,500).
Collectors of high grade sets had numerous cards to pick from. For example, over a dozen PSA 8-rated 1952 Bowman Small football were sold, highlighted by the #1 card in the set, Norm Van Brocklin, which sold for $2,127.50.
The sale again proved that even non-rookie cards of iconic players can often bring high prices. A 1981 Topps Walter Payton, graded PSA 10, soared past $517 while a 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly in the same ‘10’ grade, brought $805. The ’87 Classic card, a posed photo with Jackson wearing football and baseball gear, sold for $517.50 in a ‘10’ grade.
Highlighting the offered memorabilia was the sale of a single-signed Ty Cobb check graded 9 by PSA/DNA. It sold for $1,150.
Memory Lane is now taking consignments for its next event, the spring auction that takes place in April. Consignors still have a few days to submit items but the deadline is Friday, March 14. To consign or register for the auction, visit Memory Lane’s website or call 77.606.LANE (5263).
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