The highest graded example of the rare 1917 Collins-McCarthy Babe Ruth card sold for $204,000 late Sunday night as Robert Edward Auctions closed out its third and final catalog sale of 2019. The card was graded 4.5 (VG-EX+) by PSA and stands as the highest graded example on that company's census. Never available in set form, the Collins-McCarthy cards were … [Read more...]
1917 Collins-McCarthy Set Brings $107,460 in Lelands Sale
The young person who collected them a century ago made sure to lightly brand most of them as his own but that simple, light pencil script on the backs didn't deter bidders from chasing what's believed to be the only 1917 Collins-McCarthy baseball card set ever offered at auction. Lelands sold the complete set, issued by a San Francisco candy maker, for $107,460 early … [Read more...]
REA’s Final 2019 Auction Promises Over 3,000 Lots
The Robert Edward Auctions Fall catalog will arrive shortly and if you get the physical version, you may want to do a few arm curls in preparation. Even with a move from two auctions per year to three in 2019, it’s still a monster. The Fall edition packs nearly 3,100 lots of sports and non-sports cards and memorabilia dating back to the 19th century. It’s the … [Read more...]
Ruth, Cobb, Mantle Items Among Headliners in Memory Lane Summer Auction
“Variety” would be the key phrase as collectors prepare to open up Memory Lane’s Summer Rarities Auction catalog. It doesn’t matter what you collect—old cards, extremely old cards, high-grade Hall of Famers, modern rarities, autographs, Babe Ruth items, unopened material, Type 1 photos or scarce bobbleheads-- there’s probably something inside that’s on your want … [Read more...]
Top Mantle Card from Crazy ’52 Find Now at Auction
Fifty years after his final season, a trio of Mickey Mantle lots are expected to be among the big sellers in Heritage Auctions’ Summer Platinum sale. Two high-grade 1952 Topps Mantle cards, including one from a remarkable find on east coast earlier this spring, are on the block. Part of a virtually untouched early 1950s childhood collection consigned in April, … [Read more...]
1917 Boston Store Set a Close Relative to E135 Issue
In 1917, there weren't many baseball cards being produced. With World War I occurring, production on sets had slowed dramatically. One release that did make its way into the public was the 1917 Boston Store issue. 1917 Boston Store Set Basics The 1917 Boston Store cards featured black and white card fronts with action photos. This was one of several releases from around the … [Read more...]
1917 Collins-McCarthy Set Offered Plenty Of Stars
The 1917 Collins-McCarthy baseball card set was an austere product, which was perfect for the turbulent times facing the United States a century ago. June 5, 1917, was Registration Day in the United States, as every male between the ages of 21 and 31 was required to register for a military service draft lottery. President Woodrow Wilson had asked Congress to declare war on … [Read more...]
2 Ruth Rookies; “Several” 1952 Mantles Part of 2,500 Lot REA Auction
Robert Edward Auctions has peeled back the curtain on some of the items slated to hit the auction block as part of the company’s annual Spring Auction set to open April 7. Typically among the most anticipated catalogs of the year, REA’s offerings will span all areas of sport, non-sport, and Americana from the 19th century to the present. At more than 2,500 lots, it … [Read more...]
Field of Dreams Find: Mile High Lands Century-Old Card Sets in Iowa
For those who make their living selling baseball cards, anywhere you find a great collection is a Field of Dreams. But when the caller on the other end of the line is from Iowa and beautiful, old black and white cardboard images almost come walking out of a cornfield, the story is the stuff of legend. A huge find of nearly 400 cards from the 1916 M101-4 Sporting News and 1917 … [Read more...]