A T206 Honus Wagner hits the auction block Monday. That alone makes Mile High Card Company’s latest auction pretty interesting but throw in a bunch of other big ticket vintage cards and you have quite an event. In fact, “The Event” is what they’re calling the new catalog, which opens for bidding Monday and runs through Thursday, October 10.
The Wagner card is graded PSA 2 and sold privately less than a year ago for $1.2 million, according to SCP Auctions.
Second billing in the auction goes to the highest graded card from the “Lucky 7” find of T206 Cobb/Cobb back cards from several years ago (PSA 4.5). Also expected to bring a hefty price is a newly discovered 1916 M101-5 Holmes to Homes Babe Ruth rookie card—the only one ever uncovered.
Other hobby icons that will be in the catalog: a PSA 4.5 1933 Goudey #106 Nap Lajoie, the only known autographed copy of the 1933 Sport Kings Gum Babe Ruth, a PSA 4 1950-51 Toleteros Josh Gibson, two copies of the T206 Eddie Plank rarity and a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 4).
“This auction is like fielding a baseball team where everyone in the lineup is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.” said MHCC President and CEO Brian Drent. “We’re incredibly excited and blessed to see ‘The Event’ take our hobby to new heights, especially the T206 Wagner and the newly discovered, one-of-a-kind items.”
In addition to the Ruth card, five other cards from the ultra-scarce Holmes to Homes M101-5 series are featured in the auction, all Hall of Famers that are the first known examples: Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Napoleon Lajoie, Miller Huggins, and John McGraw.
Other key cards include a T206 Sherry “Magie” error card (PSA 2), another ’52 Topps Mantle (BVG 3.5), a run of PSA 9 Topps Mickey Mantle cards including 1958, 1961 and 1963 through 1969 and a PSA 9 1990 Topps #414 Frank Thomas “No Name on Front” error.
As you may have read earlier this week, the auction also features a collection of items from Mantle’s 1949 minor league season in Independence, MO including Mantle’s earliest known dated, single-signed baseball.
There is also a 1933 V353 World Wide Gum (Canadian Goudey) uncut sheet featuring three Ruth cards as well as Lou Gehrig, an autographed copy of Babe Ruth’s 1934 R310 Butterfinger issue, a Ruth-signed newspaper photo with an autograph grade of 10 from PSA/DNA and an advertising sheet for the 1964 Topps Coin set featuring Mantle.
Other notable pieces of memorabilia include a single-signed Jackie Robinson baseball (PSA/DNA and JSA) a 1980-85 Magic Johnson autographed game-used Lakers jersey (MEARS A10), a 1989-90 Michael Jordan autographed road jersey, a pair of Johnny Unitas’ game-used cleats with a letter of authenticity from former teammate Art Donovan and a Muhammad Ali worn hand wrap from the Chuck Wepner fight, signed by the late champ.
Complete sets in the auction are highlighted by the ninth best T206 set on PSA’s registry with a 4.43 GPA, a very rare 1980 Topps Pepsi-Cola set with each card graded by SGC, a high-grade near set of 1955 Topps All-American football that will be offered as one lot or via bids on individual cards, a 1957 Topps baseball set with each card graded PSA 7, a fully graded 1965 Topps baseball set with an 8.221 GPA, the 17th finest set of 1975 Topps baseball and the third best 1991 Topps Desert Shield set on the PSA registry with a rating of 9.78.
The auction will take place at MileHighCardCo.com.
Related Stories:
Trimmed, Creased T206 Wagner Sells for $540,000
T206 Wagner, Plank, Cobb with Cobb Back Set for Same Auction
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National News & Notes: Crowds, Consignments, Autographs
T206 Honus Wagner PSA 2 Sets New Record of $1.35M in Mile High Auction
Notes: T206 Cobb Back Nets $86,143; 1955 Topps Stash; MHCC Donating; Ovie Puck Auction
PSA 3 Wagner Becomes Highest Priced Vintage Baseball Card at $3.25 Million
