SCP Auctions says it has temporarily halted the sale of a set of 1876 baseball documents tied to the foundation of Major League Baseball after a challenge to the ownership of the collection of hand-written guidelines. Billed as the Founding Documents and Original Constitution of what we now know as MLB, the documents have received significant media attention in the weeks since their discovery and consignment were announced. The company pledged to start the auction once “clarification” of the title can be done.
“SCP Auctions apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused and looks forward to resuming the auction of this item as soon as possible,” the company stated Wednesday afternoon.
Until its consignment, the 74-page collection had been held by the family of a longtime National League executive.
The remainder of the auction got underway Wednesday with over 700 lots on the block, highlighted by a T206 Honus Wagner card that rocketed to $313,000 just a few hours after the start.
The PSA 1 (poor) example was part of the massive card collection of businessman J. Ross Greene. The company released a video on Wednesday detailing Greene’s collection of more than 100,000 vintage cards and his pursuit of the Wagner, which he quietly purchased in a telephone auction more than 20 years ago.
The card is expected to sell for more than $500,000.
The rest of the auction includes 20 items consigned by the widow of the late Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, including his 1979 National League MVP award and 1979 World Series ring, Babe Ruth’s signed Last Will & Testament from 1933, Michael Jordan’s gold medal-winning Converse shoes from the 1984 Olympics, one of only two known 1933 Goudey Sport Kings uncut sheets and a 1919 World Series press pin.
Bidding is open to registered bidders only. The auction is set to close on Saturday, June 10. For more information call 949-831-3700 or visit the company’s website.