An autographed Bible? It may sound odd, but 60 years ago, 31 members of the hapless 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates apparently put their names in ink inside a Catholic Bible and presented it to general manager Branch Rickey. The unusual signed piece was donated to the Friends of the Sacramento (CA) Public Library where it sat for months, waiting to be repaired. Ralph Kiner, Joe … [Read more...]
1954 Clemente Winter League Contract, Ruth, Young Autos Part of Auction
A 1954 Puerto Rican Winter League contract signed by Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth autographs and a notes on baseball from Cy Young to The Sporting News are among the items up for bid in Iconic Memorabilia’s Holiday Autographs & Memorabilia Auction. The auction features over 700 lots of autographs and memorabilia spanning the fields of Sports, Hollywood, Music and … [Read more...]
Topps Triple Threads 2012 Includes Autographed Handprint Cards
Autographed NFL handprint cards will be part of Topps Triple Threads 2012, an annual issue set to hit store shelves on Friday. The concept is similar to the Cal Ripken “Touched by Greatness” card that was part of Archives Baseball and created a bit of a buzz. The card included Ripken’s autograph as well an impression of his actual inked handprint. The NFL handprint cards … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Out of the Mouths of Babes
There was a brief discussion on Twitter Sunday morning about the declining quality of player signatures as a whole. It started when collector Rob Bertrand posted this about a hockey patch card signed by Marcus Kruger. I responded: Topps joined briefly... Yes, it is a somewhat complex problem. Quantity, of course, is an issue. Card companies … [Read more...]
Historic Collection of Babe Ruth Cards, Photos, Autographs Hits Auction Block
A check written by Babe Ruth on the day he hit the first of his history-making 60 home runs in 1927 is among more than two dozen pieces of ‘Babe-a-bilia’ slated to open for bidding this Monday, July 31, in Memory Lane Inc’s. Historic Rarities Auction. Many will go on display next week at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. Ruth-signed baseballs, photos, … [Read more...]
Memory Lane Opens Historic Rarities Auction July 30
In just over one week, Memory Lane Inc. will pull back the curtain on what could be one of the southern California-based company’s best catalogs ever. The Historic Rarities Auction will open July 30 with 13 pages of Babe Ruth memorabilia, much of it never seen before, dozens of high end vintage sports card singles and sets, and one man’s massive collection of sports and … [Read more...]
Mets Auction for Santana No-Hitter Items Includes Bases, Balls, Jerseys
The New York Mets have launched an online auction of memorabilia associated with Johan Santana's no-hitter. The team has home plate, six bases, several game used baseballs and about two dozen jerseys worn by Santana's teammates, most all of it autographed and inscribed by the pitcher. The item attracting the most attention so far is home plate. It's signed and … [Read more...]
Triple Platinum: A First Look at 2012 Bowman Platinum Baseball
by Chris Harris Now in its third year, 2012 Bowman Platinum Baseball will be released in late July, about halfway between 2012 Bowman and Bowman Chrome. And while most of the product’s structure remains unchanged, Topps has added some new additions for collectors to chase after. The base set will consist of 100 cards and will be supplemented with an equal number of … [Read more...]
2012 Bowman Baseball Preview
by Chris Harris Topps has released the first images and sell-sheet for 2012 Bowman Baseball. Although the structure of the set remains unchanged from recent Bowman sets, and most of the checklist is “TBD,” there are a few new additions that collectors should be on the lookout for. The most notable addition to next year’s Bowman should be the Bowman Black autographs. 25 … [Read more...]
2011 Topps Chrome Superfractor Cam Newton Rookie Card on eBay
What has become the year's most sought after football card is back on the auction block. The 2011 Topps Chrome Autographed Superfractor Cam Newton was pulled from a pack in Arizona recently. The seller placed it on eBay last week with Buy It Now price of $22,000. The seller was also taking offers on the card, which is a 1-1. The seller told Sports Collectors Daily he thought … [Read more...]