A new to the hobby find of more than one hundred, 1910-11 M116 Sporting News Life trading cards recently discovered by a family in the Midwest will hit the auction block for the first time ever in the Goldin Auctions 2015 Opening Day Auction this April.
The elusive M116 issue features the finest baseball players from the early 1900’s as chosen by the editors of the popular sports periodical Sporting Life. There are two cards of Honus Wagner and two of Ty Cobb in the group, with none graded worse than near mint by SGC.
The approximately 1.5″ x 2.75″ cards were originally offered to fans through the mail in as 24 different, 12-card series. Universally regarded as classic depictions from the game’s pre-War period, the card images are from noted photographer Carl Horner, best known for shooting the T206 “white border” cards. The colorful M116 cards are noted for their strong eye appeal, abundant Hall of Fame and superstar roster, and comprehensive player selection.
The collection of cards which encompasses nearly half of the 288-card set came to Goldin Auctions from a family in the Midwest who found them while going through their grandfather’s holdings earlier this year. According to the auction house, they had remained in their original state for more than a century, still neatly packed in their envelopes. Upon taking possession of the collection, Goldin Auctions had the cards graded by SGC and many of the cards now stand as the highest ever graded.
“We are proud to be able to offer this amazing, fresh-to-the-hobby find to the collecting public,” said Ken Goldin, Founder of Goldin Auctions. “This type of find excites collectors who get to bid upon something new as well as the general public who never get tired of hearing the story of buried treasure.”
Highlights of the collection include (“1 of 2” indicates one of two highest graded by SGC; “1 of 1” indicates highest graded example by SGC):
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Honus Wagner, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 88 NM/MT 8 “1 of 2”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Honus Wagner – SGC 84 NM 7
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Ty Cobb, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 86+ NM+ 7.5 “1 of 2”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Ty Cobb – SGC 84 NM 7
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Eddie Collins, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 96 MINT 9 “1 of 1”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Bobby Wallace – SGC 96 MINT 9 “1 of 1”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Walter Johnson, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 84 NM 7
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Tris Speaker, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 86 NM+ 7.5 “1 of 2”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life John McGraw, “300 Subjects” Back – SGC 88 NM/MT 8 “1 of 1”
1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Joe Tinker – SGC 88 NM/MT 8 “1 of 1”
The Goldin Auctions 2015 Opening Day Auction is still accepting consignments. For more information visit www.GoldinAuctions.com.
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