Vintage cards will be plentiful when the first Huggins & Scott auction of 2019 begins Feb. 1. The auction will run through Feb. 13, with a 30-minute rule beginning that night at 11 ET.
There will be a large assortment of pre-war and post-World War II cards. The early 1900s cards will include rare 1911 Jones, Keyser & Arras cabinet cards that feature Hall of Famers Frank Chance, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner. These cards measured 4½ inches by 7¼ inches and had cards glued to stiff gray mounts. Chance is the final card in the set, and Wagner’s card is the second-most valuable card in the set (topped only by Ty Cobb). Johnson’s card also is coveted by collectors.
Three 1933 Goudey cards of Babe Ruth, with one graded at PSA 4 and two at PSA 5, also should draw interest. Seven N172 Old Judge cards are up for bid, including a PSA 2 Charles “Commy’ Comiskey portrait card with the “Old Roman” wearing a striped cap. Other Old Judge subjects include John Montgomery Ward, fellow Hall of Famer Mickey Welch, and Dummy Hoy. Another lot featuring Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson has two T-206 white border cards of “Big Six” — a portrait card and one with the Giants pitcher wearing a white cap.
Key post World War II cards up for bid include a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie that carries a PSA 3.5 grade, and an ’51 Bowman rookie card of Willie Mays that is graded good by SGC. There is also a complete set of 1954 Topps cards, with 23 of them graded. Highlights include both Ted Williams cards (No. 1 and 250) at PSA 5, Jackie Robinson (PSA 6), Ernie Banks (PSA 4), Henry Aaron (PSA 4) and Al Kaline (PSA 4.5). A complete 1961 Topps baseball set in high grade — 30 percent near mint or better, and 45 percent EX-MT — includes 13 key graded cards.
A PSA 8 1968 Nolan Ryan rookie card and a 1975 mini of Ryan graded 9.5 by SGC are two of the more modern baseball offerings.
Dozens of lots feature modern era inserts and rarities including a 2000 Upper Deck Yankees Master Collection set with a BGS 9.5 Derek Jeter auto/relic.
A cut signature of Lou Gehrig and a note wishing a speedy recovery to the son of his agent, Christy Walsh Jr. is an interesting oddity. Also up for grabs will be two different handwritten letters by Napoleon Lajoie and Walter Johnson, several vintage autographed cards and a single-signed Hack Wilson autographed baseball.
Collectors will recall last year’s sale of one-of-a-kind contact proof original photos used for Topps cards. More will be included in the auction as well as a selection of Shibe Park stadium seats, a rare Louisville Slugger Little League poster with many Hall of Famers pictured including Mantle and the continuation of the Ben Cavallo Collection which includes numerous hard-to-find programs, scorecards and other ephemera.
Football is represented with a complete, 35-card set of 1894 N302 Mayo Cut Plug cards. Thirty-two of these cards are graded by PSA. Several cards from the first NFL trading card set, 1935 National Chicle,l are in the auction including the rare Bronko Nagurski, graded PSA 5. The auction will also include vintage NFL programs, media guides and other publications.
Basketball collectors will find a 1961-62 Fleer Complete Set with several graded by PSA; a 1939 NCAA Final Four program from the first ever tournament. Michael Jordan collectors can bid on a graded PSA 2 ticket from his Oct. 26, 1984, NBA debut at Chicago Stadium.
Likely to fetch the biggest price in the auction, though, is a rare 1999 Pokemon First Edition unopened booster box. Huggins and Scott sold a similar box in August for nearly $67,000.
