The most recognized vintage baseball card in the world joins some high-end issues from the modern era as Goldin Auctions opens its latest Elite Auction. The voluminous auction opened Sunday night and includes over 6,600 lots. Graded PSA 2, the Wagner card carried a $1 million opening bid. Within minutes, it had already reached $2 million. A PSA 2 last sold for … [Read more...]
Notes: Standard Envelope Expands, Ruth/Wagner Update; Prez’s Paige Card; More
eBay released its first quarterly earnings report for 2021 on Thursday. During Q1, the company says the gross merchandise value for trading cards in the U.S. was over $1 billion-- more than half of 2020's record setting volume. The company also says the number of active buyers in the category doubled from the previous quarter. eBay also announced this week that … [Read more...]
T206 Wagner, PSA 7 Ruth Rookie Headline Latest Monster Hobby Auction
Ordinarily, a T206 Honus Wagner card would headline just about any auction in which it appeared and the latest copy to come to market is on the cover of the catalog...but it's not the only hobby titan inside. The same sale also features one of the best Babe Ruth rookie cards in the world. Bidding for each has already pushed into seven figures with nearly three weeks … [Read more...]
The Garagiola Wagner: Story Behind Broadcaster’s Big Trade for T206 Card
Joe Garagiola said it: Baseball is a funny game. And, Garagiola would probably say that baseball cards can be a funny game. That’s funny, as in ironic. That’s because not only did Garagiola view “The Catch.” He also owned “The Card.” That card would be a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, the Holy Grail of baseball cards. Garagiola owned a T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner. … [Read more...]
Notes: Basketball Pop Report Numbers; Record for Dean’s; MLI Coming Soon; Wagner, MJ Update
1986-87 Fleer is the set with the most graded cards of any basketball issue but 2019-20 Prizm isn't far behind. Over 267,000 cards from the set have been graded by PSA alone, including over 20,000 Michael Jordan rookie cards. No other card from the set has come close to touching half that amount as of yet. Nearly 241,000 '19-20 Prizm cards have been examined … [Read more...]
Joe Garagiola’s T206 Honus Wagner Card Up for Auction
He was a longtime supporter of the sports collecting community and now everyone knows Joe Garagiola owned the hobby’s most famous baseball card. A T206 Honus Wagner owned by the late catcher and Today Show co-host is the headliner in Heritage Auctions’ newly launched February Platinum Night Auction. Many years ago, Garagiola traded a package of memorabilia, … [Read more...]
1952 Topps Mantle PSA 9 Sells for $5.2 Million, Now Most Valuable Card Ever Sold
The most expensive baseball card ever sold is once again of the vintage variety. PWCC Marketplace says it sold one of the six 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards graded Mint 9 by PSA for $5.2 million, shattering the record of $3.9 million set by the sale of the 2009 Mike Trout Superfractor in August. The Mantle card was sold to entrepreneur and actor Rob Gough, an avid … [Read more...]
Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia of 2020
It's not unprecedented for sports collectibles to sell for seven-figure prices but 2020 will be known for being the year in which it became a regular occurrence. At least a dozen sports cards or pieces of sports memorabilia sold for more than $1 million in 2020, a year that saw the card of an active player set the record for the most valuable trading card for the first time … [Read more...]
Notes: Kurt Rappaport Buys Wagner for $3.7 Million; Phil Spector Passes; PSA 10 Jordans; Boost Your eBay Listings
One of the best known T206 Honus Wagner cards has a new home. Kurt Rappaport, a 49-year-old Southern California real estate magnate, has purchased a PSA 3 copy of the Wagner in a private transaction conducted through Heritage Auctions. The price was $3.7 million. That same card had just changed hands in October for $3.25 million in another private brokered by … [Read more...]
New Record Price for Poor Grade T206 Wagner Card, Other Items in Goldin Sale
A low-grade T206 Honus Wagner card sold for nearly $1.4 million while some important game-used items consigned by Cal Ripken Jr. also drew a crowd of bidders as Goldin Auctions closed out its latest catalog auction late Saturday night. Heavy wear and creases have never stopped potential buyers from lining up to own the hobby’s most recognizable card and the PSA 1 example … [Read more...]