SCP Auctions’ 2015 Fall Premier online auction opened for bidding Wednesday, highlighted by a 1948 George Mikan Bowman rookie card, the only one of its kind that’s been graded Gem Mint 10 by PSA; Joe DiMaggio’s 1951 game-worn Yankees road uniform from his final season; a previously unknown and impeccably preserved Ernie Banks 1969 Cubs Roads jersey; and a one-of-a-kind 1957-58 Topps Basketball complete set in final production uncut sheet form.
Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White’s personal memorabilia collection as well as the Jeff Figler Collection, which holds complete Topps Baseball sets ranging from 1952 to the ‘70s, are also being featured.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan Rookie Card – Gem Mint PSA 10 (1/1)
The Mikan card is one of just 12 total cards from the 1948 Bowman basketball set to attain a gem mint 10 grade. It last sold in 2009 for $225,000 (a still standing record price for basketball card) and SCP officials believe the card could nearly double its previous sale price.
Joe DiMaggio’s 1951 Game-Worn New York Yankees Road Uniform
One of DiMaggio’s last uniforms, donned in his final season with the Yankees, it originates from his personal collection of career mementos, and along with a 1951 home ensemble, is one of only two DiMaggio uniforms in the world with direct player provenance. Early estimates price the uniform at $400,000+.
1923-25 Lou Gehrig Rookie Era Sidewritten H&B Signature Model Bat (PSA/DNA GU7)
From the prestigious E. Lisk Wyckoff Jr. Collection comes this bat, one of the three earliest Gehrig specimens documented by PSA/DNA. The 36-inch, 36.8-ounce war club has a crack in the handle and game use. It’s the earliest signature model Gehrig bat authenticated by PSA/DNA to date and carries a pre-sale estimate of $150,000+.
1969 Ernie Banks Cubs Game Worn Road Jersey – Fresh to the Hobby
Banks’ Chicago Cubs road jersey comes from a season in which the team found itself in first place for 155 days but finished second in the N.L. East division standings to the eventual World Series Champion New York Mets.
Among the few surviving original, unaltered Banks jerseys known, the offered road example, carries quite a story. In the spring of 1964, Chicago resident Anahis Hartz became fast friends with the Cubs’ superstar while working at a hematology oncology lab and performing blood monitoring for Banks. When Cubs’ coach Verlon Rube Walker was later struck with Leukemia, Dr. and Mrs. Hartz became more involved with the Cubs’ organization, ultimately becoming co-founders of a leukemia research foundation named “Rube Walker Leukemia Research Center.”
Banks worked with Mrs. Hartz for the benefit of the foundation and oftentimes he and his family were guests at the Hartz’s house and even visited their lake-front home. Before moving to California, Banks gave Mrs. Hartz one of his Cubs uniforms. Banks stated that he wore the uniform during the 1969 pennant race. Up until September of 2015, the jersey remained in the same garment bag in which Banks delivered it.
SCP sold a 1969 Ernie Banks Cubs home jersey (Set 1) from the Bill Riddell Estate Collection in its 2014 Fall Premier auction for $151,652, while a 1969 home Set 2 example (sporting a replaced MLB Anniversary patch) sold at auction in 2012 for $169,000.
1980-81 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers Game Worn Road Jersey
The road blue knit gamer by Sandow SK dates from Gretzky’s second season with Edmonton. Auction offiicals call it “the finest Gretzky game jersey in the hobby.” It could bring $100,000-$150,000.
957-58 Topps Basketball Complete Set in Uncut Sheet Form
This card set represented the only basketball card release for the Topps Company until it came out with its 1968-69 Topps Test set. The key rookie cards for this set include: #1 Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton; #17 Bob Cousy; #19 Tom Heinsohn; #24 Bob Pettit; and #77 Bill Russell. The uncut sheet is very rare, perhaps one-of-a-kind. It measures 28” wide by 43” high and originates from the Topps archives. It carries a $75,000 estimate.
The Jeff Figler Collection
A professionally certified sports memorabilia appraiser and a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America, Figler owns one of the largest and most diverse collections of sports, pop culture and presidential memorabilia in the country.
His 1952 Topps Baseball complete set is among the headliners of his collection with the vast majority of cards including the Mickey Mantle card (#311) grading in the VG to EX range. SCP is also offering several other complete Topps Baseball sets owned byFigler extending from the 1950s through to the ‘70s. His collection also boasts an exceptional assortment of game-worn and autographed memorabilia.
High-Grade 1911 T3 Turkey Red Set Break
Culled from a long dormant complete set, auction officials say there are many low pop examples graded at the seldom achieved EX 5 and higher threshold. Highlights include examples of Ty Cobb (PSA 4), Christy Mathewson (PSA 5) and Cy Young (PSA 5).
Top items include his three championship rings (1974, ’76 and ’08, the latter presented to him for serving as a community relations representative for the team), NBA All-Star Game plaques, two collegiate All-America selection awards, and several key mementoes from his time competing at the Boston Garden.
Other notable lots in the auction include: a rare 1876 Chicago White Stockings large format print with team composite images of 11 players; 1936 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team member Carl Shy’s gold medal from Berlin; a rare 1900 Paris Summer Olympic Games 1st Place winner’s gold medal (22K solid gold) awarded for automobile racing; a 1970 Topps #123 Pete Maravich rookie card graded GEM MINT PSA 10 (1/1); a 1948 Bowman Basketball uncut sheet of 28 high series cards; and a circa 1929 Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dual-signed baseball (PSA/DNA NM-MT 8), the second-highest graded example.
Bidding is open to registered bidders only and concludes on Saturday, Dec. 5. For more information on how to participate, visit www.scpauctions.com or call (949) 831-3700.
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