A T206 Honus Wagner and a NM/MT 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle are among more than 1,150 lots slated for auction beginning Wednesday during SCP Auctions’ “Fall Premier” event.
The auction runs through December 6 at SCPAuctions.com.
Also in the mix is Part 2 of the Delbert Mickel Baseball Jersey Collection, Jackie Robinson’s game-used Hillerich & Bradsby bat from his 1949 N.L. MVP season, the Bill “Moose” Skowron Collection, the Bill Riddell Bat Collection and Part 3 of the Newport Sports Museum Collection.
In August, SCP Auctions’ company principals David Kohler and Dan Imler secured an astounding collection of more than 3,500 T206 Cards from a private collector living in the northeast. His lineup included the Wagner card, which was graded by PSA on site last summer at the 35th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. It received a PSA 1 designation, making it only the 33rd example authenticated and encapsulated by PSA. It’s been labeled the ‘Chesapeake Wagner’.
The same card had sold ungraded through Robert Edward Auctions in June of 1995 for around $39,000. REA billed the card as the ‘Cooperstown Wagner’ as it had been on display in a shop near the Baseball Hall of Fame for two years. It’s safe to say the value has increased by a wide margin since then. SCP officials have placed a $400,000 pre-sale estimate on the card.
“The known supply of T206 Wagner’s will never begin to quench the exceeding collector demand for what is not just the most famous baseball card in the world, but one of our nation’s most celebrated treasures,” said SCP’s Dan Imler.
Jackie Robinson Memorabilia
SCP officials say the Hillerich & Bradsby Model S100 ash Robinson bat is one of only two that can be “definitively documented as having been used during his 1949 MVP season”.
Also included is Robinson’s personal 1962 Hall of Fame Induction plaque from his estate as well as a remarkable handwritten note to a fan asking about his greatest accomplishment in baseball. It reads:
I believe my greatest accomplishment was my ability to accept the racial abuse I did early as it was certainly not my nature to do so.
Jackie”
Part 2 of the Delbert Mickel Collection
Baseball historian and fan A. Delbert Mickel acquired one of the finest collections of game-worn baseball jerseys in the world. An attorney from Arkansas, Mickel passed away in 2012 but not before amassing a museum-caliber collection beginning long before the internet-age simplified such pursuits. Some of Mickel’s collection was sold earlier this year but the latest installment includes several notable jerseys once donned by Hall of Famers.
They include a Willie Mays 1967 San Francisco Giants jersey and matching pants (graded A10 by MEARS); a Hank Aaron 1968-69 Atlanta Braves road jersey (A10); a Pete Rose 1967 Reds home jersey (A8.5); a Don Drysdale 1969 Dodgers road jersey; and a Brooks Robinson 1966 World Series championship season Orioles home jersey (A9).
The Bill Riddell Bat Collection
Over a 30-year period, the late Bill Riddell of southern California amassed an impressive and impeccable personal collection of vintage and modern-era game used bats. A total of 30 lots are showcased and include: George Kelly’s 1920-22 Hillerich & Bradsby professional model bat; 1939 Charlie Gehringer H&B professional model bat; 1931 Mickey Cochrane Double-Vault marked H&B professional model bat; and Yogi Berra’s 1958 All-Star autographed and game-used professional model bat.
From the late ‘60s and 1970s, Riddell’s collection includes lumber that includes Johnny Bench’s autographed and game-used 1970-72 H&B professional model bat as well as Roberto Clemente’s 1971 autographed and game-used H&B professional model.
The Bill “Moose” Skowron Collection
A popular first baseman for the New York Yankees from 1954 to ’62, the late Bill “Moose” Skowron hit more than 20 home runs in four different seasons, batted over .300 five times and was an eight-time All-Star. He appeared in eight World Series and won five titles in a nine-year span. His collection includes his World Series rings, game-used and milestone baseballs, player contracts, and personal autographed items from dozens of teammates including Mickey Mantle.
Part 3 of the Newport Sports Museum
SCP’s Fall Premier Auction marks the third of a four-part offering from The Newport Sports Museum Collection. Highlights this time around center on significant items from John Hamilton’s USC Football Collection including:
- 1929-31 College Football National Championship Trophy “The Albert Russel Erskine Trophy”
- 1931 USC Trojans National Champions team-signed football
- 1962 USC Trojans Football National Championship Trophy
- Collection of College Hall of Fame Certificates from 12 USC Trojans Greats
- Ricky Bell 1974-75 USC Trojans Football Rose Bowl/National Championship Ring
The auction will be conducted online at www.SCPAuctions.com. Collectors can glean more information on the website or call (949) 831-3700.