Nearly 3,800 lots of vintage and modern era sports cards and memorabilia went up for grabs Thursday afternoon as Robert Edward Auctions opened its massive Spring catalog.
The event is led by a new-to-the-hobby pair of signed Michael Jordan-worn Nike Air Ship sneakers worn during his historic 1984 rookie season.
The sneakers were consigned by a former ball boy of the Detroit Pistons who acquired them, along with 21 additional pairs from other NBA players of the era. In addition to the Jordan Air Ships, the auction will feature game-worn sneakers from Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Robert Parish, Dominique Wilkins and Sidney Moncrief.
Nike Air Ship Jordan worn shoes are extremely rare. The Hall of Famer wore them for a few games during the initial part of his rookie campaign before debuting his iconic Nike Air Jordan 1s on November 17.
Both shoes are signed on the outer ankle and are two different sizes (the right is size 13 ½ while the left is 13), which is true to Jordan’s habits during his playing days. The sneakers carry MEARS authentication and come with a letter of provenance from the consignor.
Another 20th century sports icon is prominently featured on the auction. REA is offering ten different baseballs with Babe Ruth’s signature, including a circa 1920 single-signed ball graded NM/MT+ 8.5 by PSA/DNA with a MINT 9 signature, a Ruth signed and inscribed ball from his final Christmas in 1947 with a PSA/DNA 10 signature as well as a 1948 single-signed Ruth ball authenticated by JSA.
Autographed copies of two of the hobby’s most iconic cards – the 1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig and the 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie also rank among the top items in the sale. The former is the highest graded signed example known to exist while the Mantle rookie is a newly discovered example.
“This is one of our most heavily-anticipated auctions due to the incredible amount of rare game-worn memorabilia, high-grade cards and new-to-the-hobby items that our consignors have entrusted to us,” says REA President Brian Dwyer. “With the variety of material for all types of collectors, we expect this to be another record-setting event for us and an important benchmark event for the industry.”
Some of the other notable items in REA’s Spring Catalog Auction include:
- 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron Rookie PSA MINT 9
- Two T206 Ty Cobb Portrait Red Background Examples – One is the only confirmed example graded PSA GOOD+ 2.5 with a Broad Leaf 350 back while the other is graded SGC NM/MT 8
- 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil #279 Derek Jeter Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10
- 1986-1987 Fleer Basketball #57 Michael Jordan Rookie PSA 10
- 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie PSA 9
- 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA EX 5
- 1961-1962 Fleer Basketball #8 Wilt Chamberlain Rookie PSA NM-MT+ 8.
- 1969-1970 Topps Basketball Complete Set (99): #4 PSA Set Registry (8.77 GPA)
- 1969 Topps Complete Set (664): #6 PSA Set Registry (8.98 GPA)
- 2017 Panini National Treasures Football #161 Patrick Mahomes Rookie Patch Autograph Green #3/15 BGS MINT 9/10
- 1968 Al Kaline Detroit Tigers game-used jersey with team scout provenance
Monday, April 8 marks the 50th anniversary of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th career home run to break Babe Ruth’s all-time mark. In addition to the PSA 9 example of Aaron’s rookie card, REA’s Spring Auction includes nearly 60 other Aaron items, including one of only four examples of his 1971 Topps card graded PSA 10 and one of his Atlanta Braves contracts signed ahead of the 1974 season before he hit the tying and record-breaking home runs that April.
Original Photography
The event includes nearly 100 original photographs across baseball, football, basketball and Americana. Two of the most notable are a circa 1913 Joe Jackson original Charles Conlon photograph and a 1947 Jackie Robinson original rookie photograph used in the Fawcett Comics #2 issue. Both have been designated Type 1 original photos by PSA/DNA.
Bidding is open through Sunday, April 21 with all initial bids due by 9 PM ET.
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