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...]
Money Laundering, Murder and a Museum: What Became of the PSA 10 George Mikan Rookie Card
Internet sportsbook 5Dimes has agreed to forfeit more than $46.8 million as part of a settlement in a federal money-laundering investigation, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. According to the settlement, reached Wednesday, 5Dimes agreed to pay $15 million and forfeit more than $30 million in assets, … [Read more...]
Key Basketball Rookie Cards Among Top Lots in MHCC Auction
Their first major auction of 2020 is in the books and the next catalog auction is still two months away, but that doesn’t mean quiet time at Mile High Card Company. Their Extra Innings auction gets underway Monday with over 300 lots on the block. Among the headliners is a 1948 Bowman George Mikan rookie card (PSA 6.5), a 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie (PSA 9) … [Read more...]
List of Six-Figure Basketball Cards Growing
Basketball cards were once so lightly regarded that the only company that made them decided to take a pass, even when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were young, Michael Jordan was an explosive rookie and Dr. J was still flying high and winning titles. That pendulum swung back in the 1990s, though, and now the sport with worldwide appeal is building a pretty … [Read more...]
Ultra-Rare 1950-51 Scott’s Lakers Complete Set Up for Auction
George Mikan was the NBA’s first big man. Standing 6’ 10” tall, the late Basketball Hall of Famer helped redefine the center position during his glory years playing for the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan broke the mold, so to speak, and along with his emergence as the NBA’s top draw during the league’s early days, regional distributions of the man’s likeness were being distributed … [Read more...]
PSA 10 George Mikan Rookie Card Sets New Record
The lone PSA 10 graded example of George Mikan’s 1948 Bowman rookie card sold for $403,664 in SCP Auctions’ 2015 Fall Premier online auction, which concluded early Sunday morning. The card previously sold in 2009 when SCP purchased it for a client, but this auction nearly doubled its previous world record price. The entire auction of more than 1,000 sports memorabilia lots … [Read more...]
Memory Lane Acquires Multi-Million ‘Dollar Rocky Mountain Collection’
One of the highest quality collections of iconic sports cards in the hobby has been acquired by Memory Lane and will be offered at auction and private sale. Stretching from the 19th century through the early 21st century, The Rocky Mountain Collection showcases over 300 marquee cards in baseball, football, basketball, hockey and boxing. The cards are owned by a private … [Read more...]
Mikan Rookie Card Sells for Record Price
A 1948-49 Bowman George Mikan PSA 10 lived up to its reputation as the holy grail of basketball cards. The one-of-a-kind card sold for $218,500 in Memory Lane's Hidden Treasures Auction. It's believed to be the highest price ever recorded for the public sale of a single basketball card. The card is the only gem mint graded Mikan rookie card in existence. Just four others … [Read more...]