Spring break arrived here in central PA last week and with the shop's owner on a vacation to the Outer Banks, I was left in charge. I had help from our buddy Zach for a few hours each morning, which definitely made the week more bearable. He assists in shipping the sometimes ungodly amount of orders we have on a daily basis. His help is always much appreciated. Beyond that, I … [Read more...]
Minnesota Priest’s Cards Bring Strong Prices in Charity Auction
Baseball cards can pay for a lot of scholarships. If you’ve got the right ones, anyway. Father John Ubel certainly did. A lifelong collector, the rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota scooped up rookie cards of Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron about a dozen years ago for several hundred dollars apiece. He was a fan, but hadn’t kept up with the … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson Rookie Card Headlines Record-Setting Single-Owner Vintage Card Auction
A single owner collection of more than 1100 baseball cards dating from the 1800s to the early 21st century surpassed expectations, selling for more than $4.7 million. More than 1,000 customers lined up for the chance to own a piece of the "Partnerone Collection" with extended bidding on the Heritage Auctions website lasting into the wee hours of Friday morning. When the sun … [Read more...]
“Partnerone Collection” Brings Hundreds of Iconic Baseball Cards to Market
Some collections span decades. Others measure their scope in centuries. An example of the latter is now on the auction block. Pieced together by a single collector who used a discriminating eye and a love of baseball to tell the story of the game’s best players from the 1880s to the early 2000s, it’s now being liquidated through Heritage Auctions, card by … [Read more...]
’52 Topps Mantle Wasn’t Only Heavy Hitting Vintage Card in Heritage Sale
The mint 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle generated most of the headlines but there were plenty of other big ticket vintage cards sold in Heritage Auctions’ two-day Spring Trading Card catalog. The two-day auction that kicked off with the much-publicized ‘52 Mantle owned by Evan Mathis reaching $2.88 million wrapped up late Friday night. Two other ’52 Mantle cards also drew a … [Read more...]
The Underappreciated 1949 Leaf Premiums Set
Youngsters who bought Leaf baseball cards nearly 70 years ago had another set to collect, but unless dad was willing to share some knowledge, those “old timers” may not have generated much of a buzz on the playground. Today, the 1949 Leaf Premiums might be among the most underappreciated vintage cards in the hobby. Each box of Leaf bubble gum cards supposedly … [Read more...]
“The Boy Manager”: 5 Fun Cards Of Lou Boudreau
The Boy Manager would have been 100 on Monday. Lou Boudreau, who managed the Cleveland Indians to their last World Series title in 1948, was born July 17, 1917, in Harvey, Illinois. A Hall of Fame shortstop, he became the youngest manager in baseball history when he was hired for the 1942 season at the age of 24. Critics derided him as the “boy wonder” and the “boy manager,” … [Read more...]
Satchel Paige Rookie Card Cracks Six Figures at MHCC Auction
It's one of the most challenging post-War Hall of Fame rookie cards to find in any grade. On the rare occasions when a high-grade example comes up for auction, there's usually a lot of interest. However, Mile High Card Company appears to have reset the bar for the 1948-49 Leaf Satchel Paige. The company offered a PSA 7 (NM) Paige in its latest major … [Read more...]
5 Underrated 1948 Leaf Baseball Cards
It's one of those sets that looks enticing. Jackie Robinson's rookie card. Stachel Paige's rookie card. Babe Ruth. Joe DiMaggio as card #1. And fewer than 100 cards in the entire set. Those chasing the 1948 Leaf baseball set soon find out that completing it is challenging and very expensive in anything less than poor condition. The single print … [Read more...]
1933 Butter Cream HOFers Lead Sterling Sports Auction
Several cards from the rare 1933 Butter Cream set are among 563 lots in the new Sterling Sports online auction. Only a few hundred cards from the set issued by Union City Confectionery in New Jersey 83 years ago are known to exist and seven are in the Sterling catalog including Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Fred Lindstrom, Pepper Martin, Lloyd Waner and Gabby Hartnett. All have … [Read more...]