In a perfect world, Dr. Thomas Newman—“Tommy” to those who knew him the best—would be enjoying the start of a new season—and buying more baseball cards for his ever-growing collection. Sadly, the remarkable life of one of the top trading card and sports memorabilia hobbyists was unexpectedly cut short by COVID-19 in late January. A gifted neurologist who was … [Read more...]
Huge Basketball Auction Includes Jordan, Dozens of LeBron, Larry-Magic Rookie Cards
The story of the New Jersey couple who had inherited a nice collection that included an autographed George Mikan rookie card was a fun one. It turns out that was just the opening tip of an auction that includes an eye-popping quantity of popular basketball cards. Birmingham Auctioneers has launched a 500-lot auction that starts with the post-War pioneers found inside … [Read more...]
Inherited Collection Held Some Surprises; Now Heads to Auction
Imagine you’re a small auction company. In the never-ending search for material that will help you stand out from the crowd, you get quite a few calls to look at collections. A lot of them wind up being empty trips to see monster boxes of 1991 Fleer commons. Every now and then, though, you get a call like the one Scott Russell of Birmingham Auctioneers received a … [Read more...]
George Mikan Rookie Card Sells for $320,009 in Memory Lane Auction
It has been 64 years since George Mikan’s last pro basketball game but NBA’s first dominant big man is still making news. One of the five best examples of the late Hall of Famer’s 1948 Bowman rookie card sold for $320,009 early Sunday morning as Memory Lane closed out its 20th Anniversary Auction. The price established a record for the grade. A PSA 10 … [Read more...]
Diving into the 1948 Bowman Gum Sets
In 1948, Bowman threw its hat in the gum card business. The company was quite ambitious, not only producing its first baseball cards, but also complete sets for two emerging sports, football, and basketball. That had to raise some eyebrows as few football and basketball issues were produced to that time. But the sports were certainly growing and Bowman no doubt wanted to … [Read more...]
Rookie Cards of the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Class
They represent multiple eras but there's a definite 1970s vibe to the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Class. Here's a look at the rookie cards of the inductees who have them. Carl Braun Braun played in the NBA for 13 years, joining the New York Knicks just as the league was getting off the ground and leading them in scoring for seven straight seasons. He … [Read more...]
High-Grade Icons, Vintage Packs Headline Memory Lane Spring Auction
Kids who found them inside packs they opened decades ago were excited. In 2017, the enthusiasm for the biggest names in baseball history hasn’t waned a bit and some pack-fresh classic cardboard is about to go on the auction block. Memory Lane’s upcoming Spring "Holy Grail" Auction includes some single cards that are expected to attract six-figure bids, a group of … [Read more...]
Are George Mikan Cards Undervalued?
The NBA's first superstar averaged 23.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in an era when teams rarely scored in triple figures. His name was on the marquee of every basketball arena that had one. Basketball historians who are collectors often start with George Mikan basketball cards, an exercise that will take you back to the league's early days and the first NBA collectibles … [Read more...]