Heritage Auctions wrapped up its two-day Winter Platinum Night Auction early Monday, with several more lots reaching six-figure prices including a 1940s photo of Jackie Robinson that netted $204,000.
In all, the two-day event resulted in sales of $32.7 million, the latest in a series of eight-figure auctions in a booming market for high-end sports cards and memorabilia. The figure included more than $1 million in post-auction sales.
The Robinson photo is the same image as the one used to create his 1949 Bowman baseball card. The 8×10” image appears to have been a publicity photo created by the Dodgers. A second baseball card image of Robinson—that one associated with his Leaf rookie card—sold for $360,000 in the first part of the auction early Sunday morning.
Other items sold as the auction wound down included a 1971 Topps Thurman Munson PSA 9 for $162,000; a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149 PSA 7 for $156,000 and a high-grade 1997 Skybox E-X 2001 Jambalaya insert set for $150,000. A Zion Williamson NBA Top Shot ‘moment’ netted $162,000 as the world of digital collectibles continued to nudge its way into traditional sports memorabilia auctions.
The sale of Joe Garagiola’s T206 Honus Wagner for over $2.5 million headlined the first night of sales.
Heritage says over 24,000 bids were placed online during the auction’s multi-week run.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the results of this auction, across the board,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage’s Director of Sports Auctions. “Putting together an event like this is a monumental task, but it’s worth it when we see these types of results for our consignors. It’s also a testament to our industry when we see hundreds of new collectors flocking to this hobby – and pushing it to new and previously unimaginable heights.”
The company’s sports category realized more than $42 million during February alone. That includes its inaugural Modern Sports Cards event, which kicked off the month by realizing more than $7.5 million; almost $2 million in sales via Heritage’s Make Offer to Owner feature; and the weekly auctions that Heritage says “continue to attract new bidders to the ever-growing sports collectables category.”
To keep up with that extraordinary demand, in fact, Heritage will launch its new Monthly Showcase Sports Auctions on March 4, with the auction concluding two weeks later in order to provide a quicker turn-around option for consignors.
“I am immensely proud of our team at Heritage Sports, as well as of our industry as a whole,” Ivy stated. “The success of this auction and the growth of this hobby as a whole is a reflection of the fact we are all a part of something very special, and it’s gratifying to see so many others are beginning to feel the same way.”
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