The Detroit Institute of Arts boasts of possessing “the largest and most significant art collections in the United States,” with more than 65,000 works dating “from the earliest civilizations to the present.” For six months in 2018, that included Rochester, Mich., attorney E. Powell Miller’s collection of baseball cards – specifically, his complete gathering of T206 … [Read more...]
Top Willie Mays Collection Brings $1.2 Million in Memory Lane Auction
Ranked as the best on the PSA Set Registry for 15 years, a comprehensive collection of rare and high-grade Willie Mays baseball cards sold for a combined $1.2 million in Memory Lane’s Spring catalog auction early Sunday morning. The 282-card collection included more than 92% of all known Mays cards, with a weighted GPA of 8.07. The highest selling card in … [Read more...]
Legendary Player Contracts, Goudey Lajoie, Vintage Sets Headline RR Auction
RR Auction has launched its latest major catalog sale, one that features what it says is the most significant collection of history-making player contracts ever offered. Among those up for grabs: a 1932 New York Yankees contract where Ruth takes a pay cut signed amidst the Great Depression. It dates to the legend of Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert asking Ruth to … [Read more...]
Editor’s Blog: Autographed T206 Forgeries Uncovered
Signed pre-War baseball cards can sell for a pretty penny. Authentic examples are rare, largely because collecting autographs on cards wasn’t really a widespread practice until much later and many of the players were dead when it became commonplace. Authentic autographs on T206 and Goudey sets are out there, but they're generally limited to players who lived long … [Read more...]
Notes: Value of SGC’s NSCC Display; T206 Exhibit a Big Hit; Mayweather Signs; Packers Sets
As we showed you last month, SGC offered a museum-like display of high-end baseball cards, jerseys and other memorabilia at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. It was to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary. So how much was it all worth? Over $37 million. The display included perhaps the most valuable collectible contract in sports - the … [Read more...]
Finest Known T206 Set Hits the Auction Block, Card by Card
The monster has been unleashed. The hobby's best graded T206 baseball card set has been put on the auction block, but what would likely be a multi-million dollar item is being broken into 520 lots, with each card being offered individually. Heritage Auctions is holding a special auction dedicated solely to the collection, one that has been tops on PSA's Set Registry for … [Read more...]
5 Big and Scary Tobacco Card Sets
Despite many being more than 100 years old, a good number of tobacco cards are still readily available for collectors. But while some sets are able to be pieced together, others are nearly impossible. Here's a look at five tough tobacco card sets that are difficult to build because of their size and, in some cases, their rarity. T210 Old Mill Now, many T210 Old … [Read more...]
Hundreds of Forgotten Tobacco-Era Cards Found Inside Pennsylvania House
If you’ve ever dreamed about going into an old house and stumbling across a long-forgotten stash of really old baseball cards just sitting there for the taking, a Pennsylvania man can tell you exactly how it feels. And he didn’t have to go far to find them. “Jerry” lives in the north central part of the state. The home next door to his had been falling into … [Read more...]
Jackie Robinson Rookie Jersey Sells Again; Auction Buyer Nets Tidy Profit
Five months after it sold at auction, the only known Jackie Robinson rookie year game jersey has sold again, this time for $2.6 million. The company says its “Make Offer to Owner” program recently closed a deal between the winning auction bidder and the new buyer, who paid $550,000 more than what the jersey sold for in November, when it hammered for $2.05 million. … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Collector’s $5 Million T206 Set on Display in Detroit
The Detroit Institute of the Arts is giving baseball fans and collectors a chance to see a complete set of T206 and other cards as part of a six-month exhibit that opened Thursday. As we reported earlier this month, the collection, which includes a Honus Wagner card, belongs to E. Powell Miller, founder of a law firm in Rochester, Mich. Miller's T206 set, considered … [Read more...]