Sandwiched between its most recent monthly trading card auction and its next major catalog sale, Heritage Auctions is bringing out a catalog full of nothing but high-grade cards. The company’s latest Set Registry Auction has a limited scope, but if you’re collecting cards from the sets that are included, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything better.
The catalog, featuring over 1,800 lots, opens with one of the hobby’s top-rated 1970 Topps Football sets. This one features all 263 cards in the set, each one graded either 9 or 10 by PSA. Well over 40% of the cards equal the highest grade on record with none higher. Also included are both of the name color variations for the cards of Calvin Hill and Lantz Rentzel.
The set is expected to sell for $125,000 or more.
The baseball section focuses on the breakup of three near sets: 1959, 1965 and 1973 Topps. The lots include some of the hobby’s highest graded cards from those issues including the only 1965 Topps Juan Marichal and 1959 Topps Mays Catch ever graded 10 by PSA.
A Mint 9 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle is expected to sell for $80,000 or more, while a mint copy of Bob Gibson’s rookie card should net $40,000 or more. Also among the ’59s: mint 9 examples of Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente and one of only two PSA 10 Sparky Anderson rookie cards. The consignor had also collected a 1959 Topps 1-cent wax pack and that’s part of the auction as well.
The 1965 Topps set includes a PSA 10 Ernie Banks, PSA 9 Mickey Mantle ($25k estimate), one of only two PSA 10 cards of both Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda and one of just three PSA 10s of Roger Maris. Also part of the auction is a rare 1-cent wax pack from the last year in which Topps offered penny packs.
The 1973 set includes a PSA 10 example of Roberto Clemente’s last card ($10k+ estimate); one of two PSA 10 copies of the Bob Gibson card; one of three 10s of Tom Seaver and one of five 10s of Willie Stargell. The Rich Gossage rookie card is also rated 10, while the Mike Schmidt rookie and Nolan Ryan cards are rated 9.
The auction is now underway and closes over a three night period, July 15-17.
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