A rare 1910 minor league card of Shoeless Joe Jackson was best in show in SCP Auctions’ latest sale.
It was nine years before the trouble that would eventually banish him from the game and things looked bright for a young ballplayer named Joe Jackson.
He was good enough to appear in a series of Southern League baseball cards distributed with packs of Old Mill tobacco in 1910. Only a limited number have survived the century that has since passed. The Jackson card is the treasure of the eight different series which were released totalling over 600 cards.
Like the T206 Honus Wagner or other scarce pre-War cards, even low grade T210 examples attract serious collectors with money to spend. A PSA 2 Jackson drew 30 bids in SCP Auctions sale over the weekend before closing at $137,905. With the company’s 20% buyer’s premium added, the realized price was an astonishing $165,486, placing it on the list of the most expensive cards sold over the last 12 months.
The auction contained a number of other rarities from the early 20th century including another Old Mill card, this one from series six, featuring Casey Stengel. The PSA 6 example brought $41,903 with the BP. An 1888 Goodwin’s Champions Mike "King" Kelly, graded PSA 8 drew 35 bids and a final price of $63,337.
507 lots were sold in all, with the auction generating a total of $2.3 million.
"The results from our latest auction were fantastic," said SCP president David Kohler in a company press release. "Like our last internet sale, the number of new participants is a fantastic testament to the strength of this market."
Among the popular T206 series in the sale was an Eddie Plank, one of the four cards in the set which are considered extremely rare. The GAI 3 copy sold for $40,828.
Numerous items relating to Babe Ruth were offered including a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News card (PSA 6), which brought $54,713.
High grade 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card sales now regularly approach six figures, if not more. SCP offered a PSA 8 copy which sold for $91,470. A PSA 8 1951 Bowman Mantle rookie brought $20,714.
Another of the hobby’s most rare and desirable cards comes from the football ranks. A 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski graded PSA 8, drew 29 bids with the winner scheduled to write a check for $66,354.
A 1948 Bowman George Mikan rookie card, graded PSA 9 (mint), was just as popular, selling for $52,108.
Several pieces of memorabilia also attracted heavy interest including Christy Mathewson’s first professional contract, signed by the Hall of Famer. It ended at $69,829.
A 1922-25 Ty Cobb game-used bat, graded MEARS A7.5 sold for $48,508 while a Ted Williams bat attributed to use during the 1955 All-Star game went for $43,998.
Other highlights from the auction, which began on June 26:
- 1933 Goudey uncut sheet of 24 with Babe Ruth $47,946
- 1910 Contentnea set of 16 (finest known) $41,903
- 1918-1921 Babe Ruth game used bat PSA GU7 $38,006
- 1916 M101-5 Sporting News blank back Jim Thorpe (GAI 8) $37,032
- Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig autographed baseball PSA/DNA 8 $34,474
- 1933 DeLong Lou Gehrig card (PSA 8) $34,474
- 1959 Topps Bob Gibson rookie card (PSA 10) $32,450
- 1950s Bear Bryant Texas A&M jacket $27,196
- 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax rookie card (PSA 9) $26,317
- 1933 Sport Kings Babe Ruth (PSA 8) $25,064
- 1953 Topps Willie Mays (PSA 8) $21,498
- Babe Ruth single-sigend baseball $20,714
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[…] of the most valuable baseball cards today is the 1910 Old Mill Tobacco card featuring the image of a pensive young outfielder. As a matter of fact, at auction in 2011, a […]