Robert Edward Auctions will offer more than 1,300 lots of vintage sports cards and memorabilia in their fall catalog auction which opens later this month.
With material spanning from the 1860s to the present day, the 2014 REA Fall Auction is highlighted by hundreds of high-grade and rare vintage baseball cards featuring the likes of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, and Honus Wagner, among others.
The auction marks the second such event added to the REA calendar, which previously consisted of only a much-anticipated spring sale. The auction closing date is October 18.
A 1916 Sporting News Ruth rookie card graded SGC EX+ 70 leads the auction, followed by a PSA NM 7 1915 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson and a PSA VG-EX+ 4.5 example of the 
legendary 1909-1911 T206 Eddie Plank rarity.
One of the most iconic trading cards ever produced, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is featured in a variety of different conditions for collectors to consider, including two high-grade examples.
REA will bring some newly discovered early baseball items to market for the first time including two 19th century cabinet cards held in the same family for decades, depicting the 1878 Boston Red Stockings (with George and Harry Wright) and the 1879 Chicago White Stockings (with Cap Anson).
There will also be a 1915 postcard featuring Babe Ruth as a young pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and an exceptional 1908 Rose Company Postcard of Honus Wagner, which highlights two dozen fresh-to-market examples from this iconic set.
One of the rarest cards presented in the auction does not even picture an athlete, instead originating from a 1932 set issued by the U.S. Caramel Company, dedicated to U.S. Presidents and featuring William McKinley. This newly discovered example, which is thought to be one of less than ten in existence, is graded EX 60 by SGC and has the prestige of being the highest-graded example of this extreme rarity ever recorded.
Other highlights include:
- 1888 N173 Old Judge Cabinet Collection Including Rare Brown and Red Mount Examples
- 1909-1911 T206 White Border Partial and Near-Complete Sets Plus Two Magie Errors, Signed Cards, Rare Backs, and Fascinating Printing Anomalies
- Completely graded sets of E91 American Caramel, E93 Standard Caramel, and E95 Philadelphia Caramel
- 1910 E93 Standard Caramel Christy Mathewson PSA NM-MT 8
- 1911 T3 Turkey Red Near-Complete Set
- 1914 T222 Fatima Individual Players Complete Set: #1 PSA Set Registry
- 1914 B18 Blankets “Red Infield” Ty Cobb, Baker, Demmitt, and Moriarty
- 1933 R319 Goudey Uncut Sheet with Five Hall of Famers Including #181 Babe Ruth
- 1933 V353 World Wide Gum (Canadian Goudey) Color Process Proof Sheets (8 sheets)
- 1933 R331 National Chicle Football Complete Graded Set with Nagurski Rookie
- 1959 Fleer “Three Stooges” Complete Set: #11 PSA Set Registry
- 1959 Fleer “Three Stooges” Individual Cards Including 21 PSA GEM MINT 10s, PSA MINT 9 Larry and Moe, and PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 Curly
- 1961-1962 Fleer Basketball PSA MINT 9 Partial Set Break
- 1962 Topps “Civil War News” Original Artwork Collection
- 1965 Topps “Battle” Original Artwork Collection
- Complete baseball set collections, including 1933 and 1934 Goudey, 1948 to 1955 Bowman, and 1952 to 1980 Topps
- Complete football set collections, including 1930s Wheaties, 1948 to 1955 Bowman, 1964 to 1967 Philadelphia, and 1955 to 1969 Topps
Another newly discovered item making its debut in the REA catalog is a circa 1940 Babe Ruth single-signed baseball and a 1922 Christy Mathewson check graded MINT 9 by PSA/DNA that was long ago a gift from Christy Mathewson’s wife and is accompanied by a letter directly from Mrs. Mathewson.
Numerous championship rings and awards will be up for bid, highlighted by an original 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series ring in its original presentation box – issued to key executive Red Patterson, the club’s public relations director and the man who officially announced that the Dodgers were moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Also included in the auction are 1998 and 2009 New York Yankees World Series rings and a 2001 New York Yankees American League Championship pendant.
Original artwork and dies for the various press pins and championship awards produced by Dieges & Clust decades ago will be offered in 28 different lots. The headliner in the collection is the original artwork for the 1927 New York Yankees World Series ring, one of the most revered awards in all of collecting.
Numerous items consigned directly from the family of Hall of Famer Ross Youngs will be featured in the auction, highlighted by his original 1917 rookie contract.
Several uniforms and jerseys will be up for bid including the earliest-known Thurman Munson flannel, a 1971 New York Yankees home jersey, as well as an extremely rare complete 1934 Brooklyn Dodgers uniform, originating directly from the family of a former player.
The sale of the finest collection of “Three Stooges” movie posters and lobby cards to ever come to auction continues with Part Two of three installments, composed of 55 lobby cards presented in 44 lots, plus ten one-sheet movie posters. The lobby cards are highlighted by seven remarkably rare cards from the 1930s, including examples from 1935’s Horse Collars and Hoi Polloi. Among the ten one-sheet posters, all from extremely desirable early titles featuring Curly, are two extraordinary 1930s examples: Dizzy Doctors and Playing The Ponies, both of which were produced in 1937. An array of additional movie memorabilia will also be offered, including posters from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Godzilla, and Window Cleaners, one of the earliest appearances of Disney’s Donald Duck character, as well as lobby cards from The War of the Worlds and Psycho.
Other memorabilia highlights in the auction will include:
- 1863 Abraham Lincoln Signed Military Commission
- 1868 Atlantics vs. Tri-Mountain Trophy Ball
- 1870 Rockford Forest City’s Team Composite with Albert Spalding
- 1885 Cincinnati Red Stockings Large-Format Team Cabinet with Bid McPhee
- 1887 Detroit Wolverines Imperial Cabinet Photograph
- 1889 Baltimore BBC National League Membership Application – Nicholas Young Estate
- 1916 Chicago American Giants Panoramic Photo Including Rube Foster, “Pop” Lloyd, and Pete Hill
- 1923 Yankee Stadium Opening-Day Ticket Stub with Date Printed on Stub
- 1948 Chesterfield Advertising Display – Unrestored Newly Discovered Example
- 1958-1963 Hartland Statues Complete Set In Original Boxes with Original Tags!
- 1959-1963 Hartland Football Statues Partial Set (17) Plus 4 Boxes
- Finest Known 1967 Official George Mikan ABA Basketball
- 1975 John Lennon and Paul McCartney Dual-Signed MacLen Music Check
- The Tonight Show Clock from Johnny Carson’s Final Show
- 2007 and 2008 Derek Jeter Pro-Model Bats
- Collection of Limited-Edition LeRoy Neiman Serigraphs
“The response to our inaugural fall auction was tremendous, and the response from sellers to the assembly of our second fall auction really confirmed to us that there’s just an enormous demand for the services we provide, far greater than can be satisfied by just one auction per year,” said REA President Rob Lifson. “An essential ingredient that makes our auctions so special is the enormous amount of work that is invested in each auction. That will never change. Whether we have one, two, or someday three auctions per year, the one thing we can promise is that every auction will be extremely carefully assembled and a special event. This auction is no exception, and it has an incredible number of outstanding items.”
Anyone interested in receiving a catalog to contact Robert Edward Auctions by e-mail may receive one free of charge.
“You don’t have to bid to receive a catalog. It is our great pleasure to send them out, for free, to anyone who is interested in the types of items we offer. We’re very much looking forward to collectors getting the catalog in their hands. Sending out catalogs is one of the ways we promote interest in the hobby and collecting, as well as in our auctions. So many collectors today tell us they got their start learning about the hobby through REA catalogs. That’s a great feeling, even if it’s starting to make me feel old.”
Catalogs for the auction begin mailing September 26, and bidding begins October 1. The final day for bidding will be Saturday, October 18.
For a free catalog and to register for the auction, visit www.RobertEdwardAuctions.com. The company is already working on assembling their annual spring auction, slated for April 2015, and is accepting consignments through the end of the year. Consignments are being accepted and collectors can call 908-226-9900 or visit the company’s website for more information.
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