The original Heisman Trophy presented to Notre Dame's Tim Brown in 1987 sold for $435,763 over the weekend, making it the most valuable Heisman ever sold at public auction. The trophy, which came with a letter of authenticity from Brown, was the top seller in Goldin Auctions' latest catalog event. The price, which included a 20% buyer's premium, surpassed the $399,608 … [Read more...]
Ball Signed by Walter Johnson (and Walter Jr.) in New Mile High Auction
You're probably well aware of Walter Johnson but did you know the Big Train had a son who also pitched? The story of Walter Johnson Jr. actually came to a sad, premature conclusion but fans of baseball history will appreciate an item in Mile High Card Company’s current auction that pairs father and son. The newly launched Extra Innings auction includes an American … [Read more...]
High Grade Mickey Mantle Cards: How They Stack Up
He remains the gold standard when it comes to collector (and investor) popularity. For those who buy and sell the best of the best, the market for Mickey Mantle cards continues to sizzle. Armed with a list of Mantle's base cards from 1951-1969 and our calculating friend Alexa (a highly underrated device in her own right), we crunched the numbers to make some … [Read more...]
Winner of 1955 Bowman Mantle Didn’t See it Live
It’s only August but Chris Rothe is probably a hands down favorite for “Luckiest Collector of the Year.” The Maryland resident dropped $500 on the 20-spot 1955 Bowman cello pack break conducted by Vintage Breaks and landed the now famous Mickey Mantle card with a value that might be more than 100 times that amount. While a few dozen in the audience at the National Sports … [Read more...]
Found at Flea Market, Rare Mascot Dog Food Mantle, Berra Bring $28,000
Those two super rare 1950s Mascot Dog Food cards featuring a pair of Yankee icons sold for more than $28,000 combined Sunday night. A Mickey Mantle card brought $23,600 while a Yogi Berra sold for $4,720. Both had been graded 1.5 by Beckett Grading Services. The cards were originally found inside a family photo album last year at an Adamstown, PA flea … [Read more...]
1890 Players League Documents; Aaron Rookie Card Pace $2.5 Million Memory Lane Auction
A collection of historic baseball-related documents carrying the rare signatures of some of baseball’s earliest stars sold for over $136,000 combined in Memory Lane’s recently completed Winter Auction. Dubbed ‘The Northeast Find’, the documents were actually found more than 25 years ago in the storage room of an empty, dilapidated office in upstate New York that was … [Read more...]
Newly Found Obscure Mantle, Berra Cards Hit Auction for 1st Time
Discovered last fall, two virtually unknown cards of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra from an obscure regional set produced in the 1950s are now on the auction block. Wheatland Auction Services is offering the cards, which were produced for Mascot Dog Food, in its current sale. The Lancaster, PA auction company has placed a $20,000-$100,000 estimate on the Mantle card and … [Read more...]
Notes: Huge Mantle Collection; Rookie Card Update; OJ Signing Already
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...]
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...]