One of the highest quality collections of iconic sports cards in the hobby has been acquired by Memory Lane and will be offered at auction and private sale. Stretching from the 19th century through the early 21st century, The Rocky Mountain Collection showcases over 300 marquee cards in baseball, football, basketball, hockey and boxing. The cards are owned by a private collector in Colorado who has been purchasing some of the hobby’s top cards over the past seven years.
The collection includes:
- Top 200 Sportscards in the Hobby – This ‘set’ is based on Joe Orlando’s book Top 200 Sportscards: An In-Depth Guide for the Card Collector.The Rocky Mountain Collection is ranked #3 All-Time Finest on the PSA Set Registry and is 69% complete with a weighted GPA of 8.36. Notable cards include:
– 1909 T204 Ramly Cigarettes Walter Johnson, PSA 8
– 1915 Cracker Jack Hall of Fame Players, including: Ty Cobb (PSA 8.5), Walter Johnson (PSA 8), Honus Wagner (PSA 8), Christy Mathewson (PSA 9), Joe Jackson (PSA 8)
– 1932 US Caramel Lou Gehrig PSA 8
– 1933 DeLong Lou Gehrig PSA 8
– 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle (Rookie Card) PSA 9
– 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle PSA 10
– 1954 Topps Hank Aaron (Rookie Card) PSA 9
– 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams PSA 8.5
– 1968 Topps 3-D Roberto Clemente PSA 10
– 1993 SP Derek Jeter Foil (Rookie Card) PSA 10
– 1948 Bowman George Mikan PSA 9
– 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain (Rookie Card) PSA 10
– 1969 Topps Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) (Rookie Card) PSA 9
– 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski PSA 8
– 1976 Topps Walter Payton (Rookie Card) PSA 10
- The All-Time Finest Babe Ruth Basic Set. This set includes two Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie cards, both graded in PSA 8. A PSA 7 Ruth sold for over $87,000 in 2007. In 2012, PSA named the Ruth set in the Rocky Mountain Collection as the Best Vintage Player Set of the Year.
- 1915 Cracker Jack Set.79% complete with a weighted GPA of 8.07, including the Hall of Fame players listed above.
- Significant single cards, with many ranking as the finest known examples ever registered:
– 1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig
– 1934 World Wide Gum Babe Ruth PSA 9
In addition, the Collection also holds many high grade single cards from the baseball pre-war (Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson) and post-war eras (Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson) as well as key players from other sports, including: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Pete Maravich and Walter Payton.
The total value of the collection is estimated at between $5 and $8 million. Memory Lane intends to offer these cards in both private sale transactions and catalog auctions.
“The Rocky Mountain Collection contains one of the most impressive runs of key cards that has come to market in recent memory, including a host of iconic rookies in high grade,” said PSA President Joe Orlando. “While the collection exhibits many outstanding components, the most noteworthy one is centered on Babe Ruth. A complete run of Ruth’s most important major league baseball cards is included, a segment of the collection that received special recognition in 2012 during our annual PSA Set Registry awards.”
Memory Lane is the VIP and Bag Sponsor for the upcoming 35th National Sports Collectors Convention to be held in Cleveland, Ohio at the International Exposition (I-X) Center from July 30 – August 3. Cards from the Rocky Mountain Collection will available to view in person at Booth #101.
“It’s an honor to be able to present the Rocky Mountain Collection to our clients and also to display some of the cards for all collectors to see,” said Memory Lane’s J.P. Cohen. “It’s rare to see so many great cards in one place and we’re excited about the opportunity serious collectors will have to add them to their own collections.”
The upcoming Memory Lane Summer Classics Auction will feature all four Babe Ruth cards in the 1933 Goudey set as well as a M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth Rookie Card (graded PSA 4.5) and 14 vintage Mickey Mantle cards.
To register for the auction and receive a free catalog, visit Memory Lane’s website or call 1-877-606-5263.