One of a small number of 1916 Babe Ruth rookie cards with Weil Baking Company advertising on the back topped the sales list in Memory Lane Inc.’s recently completed I Own It Now catalog.
One of the rarest variations of the familiar Ruth card issued through numerous sponsors 100 years ago, the EX graded example sold within minutes of the sale’s opening last week for a price of $136,850 including a 15% buyer’s premium added to all purchases. Last fall, the same card had sold elsewhere at auction for just over $87,000.
The I Own It Now catalog offered dozens of high-grade and rare sports cards and memorabilia for set prices. Buyers have the option to purchase for that amount or take a chance and wait until a designated introductory period to make an offer. The events supplement MLI’s quarterly auction catalogs.
Other highlights included a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rated 8 by Beckett Grading, which sold for an undisclosed six-figure price and a 1932 U.S. Caramel Bobby Jones graded PSA 9 which was purchased for $86,250.
Other vintage and modern era cards included a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 and a 1952 Topps Willie Mays (PSA 8), each of which changed hands for $35,000, a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Ruth (PSA 8), a 1951 Bowman Mays (PSA 7) and a 1975 Topps Robin Yount rookie (PSA 10).
Modern era collectors pounced on a 1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter rookie card graded PSA 10, which sold quickly for $37,375 and a pair of 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols Refractors, each graded PSA 10 ($9,200 each).
Memory Lane’s deadline is approaching for consignments to its upcoming Spring Catalog Auction. For more information on selling your items or to receive a catalog, visit MemoryLaneInc.com or call 877.606.LANE (5263).