Hurricane Irma left 6.5 million people in Florida without power—nearly two-thirds of the state. Among those affected were the offices of SGC, one of the hobby’s top grading and authentication companies. SGC sent an email to customers Monday announcing their offices would be closed “until further notice” because of a lack of power to the company’s offices in Boca Raton, … [Read more...]
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Phil Marks Joins SGC as Autograph Authenticator
Sportscard Guaranty has hired long-time autograph expert Phillip Marks for its SGC Authentic division. Marks has been involved in the autograph business for over four decades and will be authenticating for the Florida-based company. He will be traveling with SGC to several major upcoming shows including Chantilly, VA, Hofstra, NY, Strongsville, OH, and Boston, MA. “It’s … [Read more...]
Notes: White Plains Show; SGC’s New Club; Hall Recovering, Shop Opens in TN
Just a couple of weeks after the National, there’s another large card show in the New York/New Jersey area. The East Coast National show opened Thursday at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. It runs through Sunday. Over 300 dealers are set up along with auction houses and the grading/authentication companies. Admission is $10. Autograph guests include … [Read more...]
Notes: REA Prez to Retire; SGC Moving; NFL Exhibit at SFO
Rob Lifson, long-time owner of Robert Edward Auctions, is easing his way into retirement. The 55-year-old Lifson says 2016 will be his last year of heavy involvement with REA and the business has essentially been sold to the company's consignment director, Brian Dwyer. Lifson won't be lying on a beach in Florida, though. In a weekend blog post, he indicated he … [Read more...]
Gehrig Cards Attract Dollars
It seemed unconscionable at the time. Lou Gehrig, baseball’s greatest player, was suddenly very ordinary. No one knew he was beginning to be ravaged by the ALS that would claim his life in just two years but on April 29, 1939, there was one last glimpse of the original Iron Man when he rapped a base hit off Washington Senators’ pitcher Ken Chase on a blustery Saturday … [Read more...]
One of Hobby’s Best T206 Honus Wagner Cards Heading to Auction
One of the best known examples of the T206 Honus Wagner card is coming to auction next month. Robert Edward Auctions will offer the card in its upcoming spring auction with a starting bid of $100,000 but if past sales are any indication, the winner will pay more than $1 million. The card was unknown to the collecting world for nearly 100 years until it was discovered, along … [Read more...]
Graded Babe Ruth Cards You Can Own Without Going Broke
Early in 2014 one of the higher-end products from the Topps Company was released to the baseball hobby. 2014 Topps Museum Baseball was released for its third season, and it wanted the collecting public to know that it would continue to focus on high-end hits. Indeed, every pack promised either an autograph or a relic card with four-pack boxes promising an autographed relic, an … [Read more...]
Newly Discovered Blue Back T206 Walsh Heads to Auction
A new find always gets a vintage card collector’s attention and when it’s a never before seen T206 variation, the talk goes off the charts. Huggins and Scott’s latest auction catalog includes what seems to be a one-of-a-kind, never before seen card of Ed Walsh that has an ad for Old Mill cigarettes printed with blue ink. Never before has such a variation been uncovered on any … [Read more...]
Familiar Hobby Businesses Still Waiting for Power after Sandy
Hundreds of thousands of people in New Jersey and New York are still without power and that includes some hobby-related businesses. You probably saw Mike Fruitman's story on three sports card shops dealing with the storm more than a week after it hit. Grading and authentication at SGC has been hampered by lingering power outages in Parsippany, New Jersey. The storm hit … [Read more...]
Trimmed, Creased T206 Wagner Brings $198,850
It won't win any beauty contests but it's real, and that's enough for collectors who want to own the hobby's most famous baseball card. A T206 Honus Wagner graded "A" for authentic by SGC and featuring three completely trimmed borders and some creasing, sold for $198, 850 at auction late last week. It generated 16 bids in a Goodwin and Company auction that closed early … [Read more...]
