Goldin Auctions has announced the rest of the lineup for its upcoming Great American Trading Card Auction that will feature the “Jumbo” T206 Honus Wagner. The company is putting 50 high-grade vintage cards, including several key rookies, into a single auction set to open September 12 and run through October 1.
The Wagner card was last sold in April 2013 when it fetched $2.1 million, the highest auction price ever paid for a trading card. The highest price ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia was Babe Ruth’s 1920 game-worn Yankees jersey which sold four years ago for $4.4 million.
“Over the past year, the demand for rare, high-grade vintage trading cards has exploded with new record price being established every week,” said Ken Goldin, Founder of Goldin Auctions. “Serious collectors understand that every time rare collectibles such as the Jumbo Wagner are offered for auction, it may be the last time for a long time.”
The auction also includes six cards awarded a PSA 10 GEM MT rating, five cards designated as 1 of 1’s and four cards recognized as 1 of 2. Goldin believes 14 of the cards are will sell for more than $100,000 with nine expected to surpass $200,000.
Here are a few of the other rare, high-grade cards being offered:
Lot #29 – 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente Rookie Card PSA MINT 9 – One of 10 cards at this grade with only one higher from the 4,075 graded by PSA (estimate $500,000+).
Lot #28 – 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron Rookie Card PSA MINT 9 – One of 22 examples at this tier from the nearly 4,000 graded by PSA (estimate $350,000+).
Lot #26 – 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie Card PSA NM +7.5 – One of 45 examples to achieve this grade from the 1,375 graded by PSA (estimate $300,000+).
Lot #44 – 1968 Topps #177 Nolan Ryan Rookie Card SGC 98 GEM 10 “1 of 2” – One of just two examples to reach this tier from more than 1,400 graded by SGC (estimate $250,000+).
Lot #19 – 1949 Bowman #226 Duke Snider Rookie Card PSA GEM MT 10 “1 of 1” – The highest graded example from more than 600 graded by PSA (estimate $250,000+).
Lot #11 – 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie PSA MINT 9 – One of just nine cards to achieve this grading with none of the 83 examples graded higher by PSA (estimate $200,000+).
Lot #50 – 2003-04 Upper Deck LeBron James 1/1 Ultimate Logos Autographed Logoman Rookie PSA MINT 9 – The most valuable and coveted card from James’ rookie campaign (estimate $200,000+).
Lot #20 – 1949 Bowman #84 Roy Campanella Rookie Card PSA GEM MT 10 “1 of 2” – (estimate $200,000+).
Lot #22 – 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle Rookie Card PSA NM-MT 8 – One of the ten highest graded cards from the 1,600 submitted to PSA for grading (estimate $150,000+).
Lot #15 – 1936 World Wide Gum #51 Joe DiMaggio Rookie Card PSA NM 7 “1 of 1” – The highest graded example of the 27 submitted for grading by PSA (estimate $50,000+).
Lot #48 – 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie Card PSA GEM MT 10 – Only 17 of the more than 15,750 Henderson rookies submitted to receive a 10 grade from PSA (estimate $35,000+).
Lot #49 – 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan Rookie Card PSA GEM MINT 10 – (estimate $30,000)+.
Lot #47 – 1980 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie Card PSA MINT 9 – (estimate $30,000+).
The market for iconic vintage cards has sometimes meant huge price increases in a relatively short time frame. In April, 2013, the highest price realized for a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie Card (PSA NM-MT 8) was just under $80,000. In 2015, a comparable ’52 Mantle sold for $525,000. In about a three-year time frame, a ’52 Topps #261 Mays PSA 9 garnered $26,500. This year, the same card realized $478,000. Additionally, a 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth (PSA 5) which sold for $49,500 in 2013, most recently garnered $191,200.
Bidding on the “Jumbo” Wagner requires pre-approval. All interested bidders must contact Goldin Auctions in advance for pre-approval or they will not be authorized to bid.
For more information about The Great American Trading Card Auction, contact Goldin Auctions at [email protected] or call 856-767-8550.