Modern cards sometimes steal the big headlines but for collectors who prefer the really old fashioned icons, there’s nothing quite like owning a few cards issued back in the days of flannel uniforms and train travel.
Heritage Auctions’ first Trading Card catalog of 2022 is loaded with vintage and those who chase two of players on the Mt. Rushmore of 20th century icons won’t be disappointed. The auction includes 22 original vintage Babe Ruth cards and ten of Lou Gehrig.
The group spans virtually the entire run of time in which the two sluggers were Yankee teammates, starting with a 1920 W516 Ruth.
The two top cards are a 1925 Exhibit Gehrig rookie card graded PSA 2 that’s expected to cross the six-figure mark by the time bidding ends and a SGC 7 copy of Ruth’s 1933 Goudey #144.
In fact, the auction includes no fewer than 11 Goudey Ruth cards in varying grades and five 1933 and ’34 Goudey Gehrigs, highlighted by a 1933 #92 graded PSA 7.
The roster of Ruth issues also includes two 1932 U.S. Caramel cards, a 1921 Exhibit, two American Caramel, a 1922 Neilson’s Chocolate, a 1925 Drake’s, a 1926 Spalding Champions and 1948 Leaf.
Other Gehrig cards include a 1928 W502 and a 1927 Exhibit (SGC 5).
The auction, which includes several hundred lots featuring vintage and modern cards, is closing over a two-night period, January 27 and 28.