Some things don’t change.
Yankee legends and high-grade vintage cards still attract a crowd of eager bidders.
Items associated with Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were among the big ticket items in Heritage Auctions’ Winter Platinum Night sale. 
One of ten copies of the 1968 Topps Mickey Mantle graded PSA 10 blew past its $200,000 presale estimate, selling for a record $510,000. The last PSA 10 sold for $214,579 in 2021.
However, prices for some 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards continued to dip. One of 35 PSA 8 copies of Mantle’s 1952 Topps debut card sold for just under $1.1 million, the lowest price for an 8 since the May 2021 sale of another copy for $861,000. Two had sold for more than $2 million in the latter half of 2021 before the next two sales ended in the $1.4 to $1.5 million range.
A PSA 8 copy of Mantle’s 1951 Bowman rookie card reached $480,000, the second biggest price for the card since late 2021.
The highest selling lot in the auction went to a 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card. Graded SGC 7 (near mint), it netted $1,77 million, the biggest ever sale of an SGC graded copy of Ruth’s M101-4 but below pre-sale estimates. A PSA 7 copy had sold for $2.4 million in November of 2021.
Other Yankee related items pushing past the half million dollar mark included a 1926-27 era autographed Lou Gehrig pro model bat that sold for $600,000 and a 1948 Joe DiMaggio Yankees jersey including the Babe Ruth memorial armband that closed at $564,000.
One of the earliest known Ruth photos, taken early in 1915 while he was still best known as a promising young pitcher, sold for $468,000.
The fourth best 1953 Topps Baseball set on PSA’s Set Registry surpassed expectations, netting $705,000. The set includes 91 PSA 9s, 88 that are graded 8.5 and 93 rated PSA 8.
A very rare Michael Jordan card generated some interest and sold for $210,000. The 1996 Upper Deck U.S. Olympic Champions “Reflections of Gold” autograph is believed to be one of no more than 20 that were produced.
Some of those who put unprecedented money into modern era rookie cards have taken some lumps since early 2022. A 2003-04 Upper Deck LeBron James Rookie Patch Autograph numbered 12/23 sold for $2.1 million eight months ago. The same card sold Saturday night for $720,000.
A 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady Championship Ticket Rookie graded BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 with a 10 autograph grade sold for $516,000, the lowest price for the grade since December 2019.
The second half of the auction was scheduled to conclude Sunday night.
