Steven Lane, the collector and Mickey Mantle fan who recently authored a book on Mantle’s career through images from his extensive collection, says a few of the items he was trying to ship to an auction company were stolen along the way.
Lane tells SC Daily he shipped eight items from New Orleans to Heritage Auctions in Dallas via FedEx last Tuesday but when the sealed package arrived, it held only four.
The missing items included a 1/1 cut signature card from 2017 Leaf Executive Collection that held autographs of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, a 1957 Baseball Writers Association of America award presented to Mantle, a signed and inscribed Mantle book and a display piece featuring a 1964 World Series ticket and a signed photo of Mantle and some Yankees teammates.
The value of the stolen items is listed at approximately $50,000.
The New Orleans Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in finding out what happened and who may be responsible for their loss.
Police say it’s unknown if the incident occurred in New Orleans or en route to Dallas
Anyone with information should call the NOPD’sEighth District detective at 504-658-6080 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867.
Lane says FedEx told him it has begun an investigation but in the meantime, he’s hoping collectors, dealers and auction companies will keep an eye open for the missing items.
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Every time he hits a homer, collector/Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. buys a card of himself to celebrate. Fellow hobbyist Mike Trout has been known to have clubhouse attendants hit up local shops to buy boxes they can rip on road trips. They’re two prominent players who spend much of their downtime on the hobby.
Witt Jr. was talking cards during an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast:
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Catch the full show here: https://t.co/OW0cJSl8H1 pic.twitter.com/JWZ1ZdliQc— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 17, 2023
A new online auction platform aims to team up with athletes to sell items they wore away from the competition.
TOP DRWR will feature items from the personal collections of “renowned, high-profile talent,” according to a news release.
“We’ve curated an assortment of exclusive items worn by talent in music videos, concerts, red carpet events, NBA tunnel walks and more,” says Yasir Malik, CEO of TOP DRWR. Malik says the company’s offerings will cater to “fashion aficionados, memorabilia enthusiasts, and connoisseurs of iconic accessories.”
The company’s first auction launches Wed., July 26 with items from NBA star Jimmy Butler, including a specially designed 1/1 Tomball (TX) high school “letter jacket” commemorating his senior year there in 2007 when he was team captain and a pair of Union x Air Jordan shoes he wore.
TOP DRWR is venture-backed by Courtside Ventures and FJ Labs.
A portion of the proceeds benefit Social Change Fund United.
PSA is looking to create a local branch in China, according to one of the company’s recent events there.
A story on the exploding interest in trading cards in that country included this nugget from Michael Oviedo, a VP for PSA parent Collectors:
“With the rapid market growth, the company hopes to get local operation up and running as soon as possible to adapt to China’s trading cards market as well as to make it more convenient for Chinese collectors.”
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Here’s a story from WFTS in Tampa on Tim Virgilio’s Signatures for Soldiers campaign.
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A father/daughter team turned a love of baseball and cards into a thriving eBay business.
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