Hundreds of vintage Mickey Mantle cards including rarities and multiple copies of popular 1950s regionals are entering the hobby through a long-time collector who’d quietly accumulated them years ago. Stored in albums, the cards were carried into the National Sports Collectors Convention over the summer by an older man wearing a vintage Cubs jersey. He stopped just … [Read more...]
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Babe Ruth Bat, PSA 9 Mantle Rookie Headline Upcoming MLI Auction
Babe Ruth wasn’t a leadoff hitter, but one of his old weapons is serving in that capacity in Memory Lane Inc.’s power-packed Fall Classic Auction catalog. A 1922 game-used Ruth bat—with important side-writing from the Louisville Slugger Factory—is being offered in the sale, which is set to open September 30. The bat, sent by Ruth to Kentucky during spring … [Read more...]
1960 Topps Tattoos Among Company’s Quirkier Sets
When most collectors think of Topps, their mind generally goes to baseball cards. But the company produced a wide variety of non-card issues and the 1960 Topps Tattoos release was a unique collectible. Tattoos? Yup...well, sort of. There was no artist needed, no painful procedures--and any regrets could be quickly washed away. Here's a bit more on this oddball … [Read more...]
Stocking Up to Meet Vintage Sports Card Demand at the National
If you collect vintage sports cards, filling your want list at the National Sports Collectors Convention is usually faster than buying on eBay. Name a set and there are likely at least a few dealers who have those cards in their inventory. Collectors from across the country are spending plenty of money this week. Some are filling sets. Others are buying in hopes … [Read more...]
The Man Who Wrote the Book on Mickey Mantle Baseball Cards
Like millions of other kids, he started collecting baseball cards in the 1950s. Bill Wilen really got serious as an adult, focusing on Mickey Mantle. Over the years, he's acquired virtually every Mantle card issued from 1951-2000. Now, they're all up for auction. The retired Chicago area attorney is at the National Sports Collectors Convention, showing … [Read more...]
NM Ruth Rookie Card Fetches $552,000
A 1916 M101-5 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card graded PSA 7 (near mint) sold for $552,000 during the first of a three-day catalog sale conducted by Heritage Auctions last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The card is one of the three 7s in PSA's Population Report (the company has graded only three as high as 8). The cards section led off the auction, with dozens … [Read more...]
Wagner, High-Grade Vintage Icons Push Memory Lane Auction to Record Total
One of only several dozen surviving examples of the world’s most famous baseball card was sold early Sunday morning when Memory Lane closed out its ‘Holy Grail’ Auction. The $600,000 price fetched for a PSA 2 Honus Wagner was just the beginning, though. When the final bids were entered in the early morning hours Sunday, the auction had generated over $5.2 million, … [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...]
High-Grade Heroes Highlight Huge Memory Lane Winter Auction
Collectors might want to grab another log for the fire when they head for an easy chair to digest the 2016-17 Memory Lane Winter Rarities Auction. The catalog for the annual event, running December 23 through January 14, is a company record 256 pages long with over 1,300 lots of vintage and rare sports cards and memorabilia. The auction kicks off with one of the … [Read more...]
1952 Mantle Poised to Pass $1 Million
A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card graded 8.5 by PSA stands poised to become the hobby’s next million dollar card. One of only a dozen graded at NM/MT+ or higher, the card soared to $800,000 in the first few days of bidding at Heritage Auctions. With the 19.5% buyer’s premium, the price currently sits at $956,000 and the auction still has over three weeks to run. Two other … [Read more...]
