Grey Flannel Auctions is selling one of only two known 1891 John H. Ryder Cy Young Cabinet cards, a newly uncovered example that represents possibly the first image ever produced of the Hall of Fame pitcher in a big league uniform. From the description:
“This hobby fresh discovery was unearthed recently from an original album that was found in a factory almost 65 years ago. Our consignor had no idea of the rarity or even the contents found inside.”
The card has been encapsulated and is graded PR 1 by PSA and currently has a high bid of over $49,000.
Some loved the idea and some didn’t but the Montreal Expos lived again over the weekend when the Washington Nationals donned the uniforms the franchise wore when it was located in Canada. Those uniforms are on the auction block already.
MLB Auctions opened bidding Tuesday afternoon for the gear donned by Max Scherzer, Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner over two dozen others.
The lots include not only the jersey, but the player’s pants and batting helmet, too.
Bidding runs through July 15.
PSA will host a “National Card Grading Competition” at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. The contest, which is open to 77 different contestants, will be held at PSA’s corporate booth (#1436) inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont during designated time slots from Wed., July 31, through Sat., August 3. The overall winner will earn a $1,000 check.
Contestants will first need to pay a $20 entry fee to secure a grading slot. Once their day and time slots are finalized, they will each have 15 minutes with which to grade a total of 25 different encapsulated vintage and modern trading cards. The test will include counterfeit cards as well as “no grade” cards. Contestants are encouraged to show up at least 10 minutes early for their one and only card grading opportunity. To sign up for the contest, visit PSA’s National Card Grading Competition landing page.
Grading materials will be provided including a loupe for magnification, a ruler for measuring, a lamp for proper lighting, and laminated printouts outlining PSA’s grading standards and no grade definitions. The winner will be determined by PSA’s grading judges who will compare the participant’s grades with a pre-established answer key.
“Card grading is both a fun and challenging pursuit, so we expect this competition will be a popular attraction during the National,” said PSA President Steve Sloan. “It’s not the easiest of assignments, so it will be interesting to see not only who competes but who ultimately wins.”
The grand prize winner will be announced at PSA’s corporate booth at 4 p.m. (CDT) on Sat., Aug. 3. All contestants will receive a prize of some kind for their efforts.
The National hasn’t had many seminars or discussion sessions that were once part of the annual event in the 1980s, but there will be at least one this year.
Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of Vayner Media and Josh Luber, founder of StockX, will host a “Future of Trading Cards” chat on Wednesday, July 31 at 2 PM in Meeting Room 14 at the Stephens Convention Center. It’s only open to VIP and SuperVIP ticket holders, but Vaynerchuk will also be doing a Q&A on the main stage Thursday.
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