Sports collectibles were a big contributor as Heritage Auctions tallied up its sales figures for 2020. The Dallas-based company reported over $873 million in total sales despite uncertainty over the impact of COVID-19, travel restrictions and other hurdles. The sales figure for one of the world's largest auction houses represents both auctions and private sales across … [Read more...]
Totaling Up The Biggest Week in Sports Auction History
The sports card and memorabilia auction business had a pretty good year last week. The world may still be enveloped by a raging pandemic that's decreasing our population in record numbers, but the appetite for tangible connections to athletes and athletic history seems immune to it all. The latest played out in the auction market: $52.9 million spent in six major … [Read more...]
Heritage 4-Day Auction Tally Sets New Mark for Single Sports Auction Event
Spread out over four separate sessions closing on successive nights and packing over 3,700 lots, Heritage Auctions’ 2020 Fall Collectibles Auction was the biggest in company history. It turned out to also be the biggest money maker in sports collecting history. The auction, with individual sessions ending Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, realized over … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Thrift Store Find of the Year Earns Buyer Nice Payday
Humble little places are still surrendering some great sports stuff every once in a while. Just weeks before Heritage Auctions' last deadline for consignments to its recently concluded auction, someone found a Cowboys jersey at at a thrift shop in Dallas' Lakewood neighborhood. The shop recognized the number--74, for Hall of Fame defensive end Bob Lilly--and put a price tag … [Read more...]
Bee Hive Photo Collection at Auction Spans 4 Decades
For 33 years, a Canadian corn milling operation did its part to keep Canadian hockey fans collecting. St. Lawrence Starch of Port Credit, Ontario was the home of Bee Hive Hockey Photos, a “living set” if there ever was one. Now, the largest complete run of this massive issue is about to change hands. Heritage Auctions is offering a collection of over 1,300 … [Read more...]
Rare 1922 Kromo-Gravue Cards of Ruth, Hoyt Uncovered in Michigan
Stuck in a long-forgotten family photo album for decades, a pair of rare 1922 W575-2 Kromo Gravue cards featuring Babe Ruth and his former Yankees roommate Waite Hoyt, are now on the auction block. The small, rectangular cards were produced by the owners of a Detroit area photography business and are part of a set sometimes referred to as the "autograph on shoulder set" for … [Read more...]
Jimmie Foxx Collection Headlines Huge Heritage Event
More than a dozen items from the personal collection of baseball great Jimmie Foxx, including the Hall of Famer’s game-used bat and his 500th home-run ball, are now on the auction block as Heritage Auctions kicks off its final catalog auction of 2020. The items from Foxx’s personal collection are being offered for the first time. They include everything from a 1934 … [Read more...]
Historic Relic: 1919 World Series Game 8 Stub Hits Auction
Nearly 33,000 fans showed up to watch the final game of the 1919 World Series. At a time when ticket stubs weren’t considered much of a keepsake by most fans, few survived the trip back home. Even fewer survived the decades to come, when spring cleaning probably claimed more than a few. Those who were inside Comiskey Park on October 9, 1919 saw the end of a … [Read more...]
Heritage Auction Includes Dozens of Vintage Unopened Boxes
It's not open for bidding until next week, but if you're a fan of sports card time capsules, we can tell you the upcoming Heritage Auctions catalog will have a lot of it. And if 1970s wax is your jam, you might want to sit down and strap on a bib. Set to start next Thursday, the catalog will have over 300 lots of unopened material, including boxes, cases and vintage … [Read more...]
Holy Grail of Early Derek Jeter Autographed Baseballs Coming to Auction
What may be the earliest known baseball signed by Derek Jeter as a professional is coming to auction, an iconic ball that has been cherished for 28 years by the batboy of the 1992 high school all-star game Jeter played in as a teenager in Michigan. The batboy--a 10-year old little leaguer who’s uncle coached the local varsity baseball team—was gifted the ball after the game … [Read more...]