Signed Mantle Cards; Ted’s Triple Crown Trophy, ‘Original 11’ HOF Relics, Massive 3×5 Collection Headline SCP Auction

Set to run through Saturday, December 8, SCP Auctions’ 2018 Fall Premier is underway with some never before seen pieces among more than 500 lots in the catalog.

The headliners include: a remarkable collection of autographed Mickey Mantle baseball cards including 22 of his most coveted singles; Ted Williams’ 1947 Triple Crown trophy from the Williams estate; a 1939 Inaugural Hall of Fame Original Eleven inductees signed ball; a high-grade 1939 First Day Cover also autographed by those same 11 icons with some fascinating correspondence from each signer; and a newly discovered collection of 9,000 plus autographed 3×5’s and cuts covering almost every 20^th Century Major Leaguer.

Mickey Mantle Autographed Card Collection

Originally pieced together by a California collector and now consigned by his family, the collection of 22 signed cards includes his iconic 1951 Bowman and 1952 Topps rookies. Each autographed card is listed individually. 16 have earned perfect Gem Mint 10 grades from PSA/DNA, including the ’52 Topps which is projected to fetch more than $75,000.    

In-house estimates for the whole collection are well above six figures – pretty amazing considering many card purists once believed getting a Hall of Famer to sign his card was sacrilegious and would “ruin its value.” That mindset has flipped in recent years.

“These cards are sure to bring record prices due to the current demand of vintage autographed cards,” says SCP Auctions President David Kohler, “and of course Mickey Mantle is right at the top. Most of these are the first examples ever auctioned.”

SCP is also offering an unsigned example of Mantle’s 1951 Bowman rookie card graded PSA 8.  As of Sunday morning, bidding had already pushed past $83,000.

Ted Williams 1947 Triple Crown Trophy

The Splendid Splinter was no stranger to the Triple Crown. He first accomplished this rare single-season feat in 1942 before stepping away from baseball for three years to serve in the war. In 1947, his second season upon returning to the Red Sox, Williams led the A.L. with a .343 average, 32 homers and 114 RBI to capture his second Triple Crown, joining Rogers Hornsby as the only other player to do it twice. The trophy Williams received for his monumental efforts in ‘47 is consigned by his daughter and projects to sell for over $100,000.

It was on display earlier this year at the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum.

1939 Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees Signed Baseball and First Day Cover

To mark the 100th Anniversary of America’s pastime, eleven of the baseball’s greatest players of all-time – Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Connie Mack, Ty Cobb, Pete Alexander, Cy Young, George Sisler, Tris Speaker, Walter Johnson, Eddie Collins and Nap Lajoie – congregated in the little hamlet of Cooperstown, NY on June 12th, 1939 for the inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In August SCP Auctions made history with its $623,369 sale of an Original Eleven signed ball procured by Major Leaguer Marv Owen at the historic event.

The ball now at auction, which SCP is calling “the second finest known” autographed baseball, has a more relatable background, hailing from a New Jersey man named Thomas Cullen who attended the ‘39 Hall of Fame ceremony at age 22 and got all 11 original inductees to sign it.

The OAL (Harridge) ball with bold, well-preserved signatures is expected to sell for $200-300K.  Mike Cullen, who consigned his late father’s ball upon seeing the previous result told Sports Collectors Daily earlier this month that “the ball must have cost (his father) a buck or two. I’d say it appreciated really well.”

Alongside the inaugural Hall of Fame ball is a 1939 First Day Cover signed by the Original Eleven along with controversial MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Each autograph came at the request of an ambitious New Orleans collector named Paul Wunder, who mailed the FDC with a personal letter to each Hall of Fame inductee right after the inaugural ceremony. All complied, several adding personal notes to memorialize the correspondence. The piece is graded PSA/DNA Mint 9 (auto.) and auction officials believe it could sell for $200,000 or more.

The Dave Hill Autograph Collection

A St. Louis native and fan of the hapless “Brownies” accumulated one of the largest baseball autograph collections, mostly coming on 3×5 index cards with the rest on cuts, baseball cards or GPC’s. The former minor league ballplayer turned CIA operative never let up on his obsessive hobby, and the collection grew to over 9,000 signatures by the time he passed away in 1995. It encompasses 60% of all Hall of Fame inductees, hundreds of pre-1900 born players and several obscure names of which few, if any, records exist. 

Hill’s family has decided to put the entire collection up for auction, and the 16 lots could cumulatively approach six figures when all is said and done.

Other top lots of the auction include:

• 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie PSA NM-MT 8 – Estimate $125,000 plus
• 1969 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves NLCS Game Worn Home Run Jersey (Photomatched) – Est. $90K+
• John Harrington 1980 Olympics “Miracle on Ice” Game Worn USA Hockey Jersey – $80K+
• Oscar Robertson 1960 Olympics Game Worn USA Basketball Jersey (MEARS A10) – $75K+
• 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie PSA EX-MT+ 6.5 – $75K+
• 1973 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves Game Worn Jersey (Photomatched) – $70K+
• 2006 Tom Brady New England Patriots Game Worn Uniform (Photomatched) – $60K+
• Babe Ruth Single Signed Baseball With PSA/DNA Mint 9 Auto. Grade – $50K+
• 1936 Winter Olympics Hockey Gold Medal Presented to Great Britain’s Star Goaltender – $50K+
• 1971 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates (Championship Season) Game Worn Jersey – $40K+
• 1966 Topps Baseball Master Set Ranked #6th in PSA Registry Among Complete – $40K+
• 2015 Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 Champions Front Office Ring with Presentation Box – $35K+
• 1911 Addie Joss Benefit Game Panoramic Photograph (PSA/DNA Type I) – $30K+
• Red Ruffing 1967 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ring (Ruffing LOA) – $30K+
• Bruce Springsteen 1984 “Born in the USA” Tour Used Acoustic Guitar – $30K+
• Michael Jordan Signed 1997 NBA Finals Game 2 Worn Air Jordan Shoes (Photomatched) – $25K+
• 1984-85 Magic Johnson L.A. Lakers Game Worn Home Jersey vs. Celtics (Photomatched) – $25K+

Bidding opened to registered bidders Wednesday, November 21 and will conclude Saturday, December 8.

The auction is conducted online at SCPAuctions.com.  For more information on how to participate, visit the website or call (949) 831-3700.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]