The strength of the high-end baseball card and memorabilia market was confirmed at Robert Edward Auctions’ (REA) record-setting May 2 sale. The $10.1 million in sales represents a new record for a multi-owner, all-consignment, baseball card and memorabilia auction.
The across-the-board record final prices on all Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century baseball cards and memorabilia was led by a low grade (PSA 1) T206 Honus Wagner card, which sold for $399,500, setting a world record for a Wagner (or any card ever) in this condition.
This card was last sold at auction for $78,000. It is the card that was once owned by actor Charlie Sheen, who allowed it to be displayed at the All Star Café in New York. In a plot worthy of a TV episode, in 1998 the card was stolen from its display case and replaced with a copy. When the theft was discovered, the thieves were soon caught, and the Wagner card was recovered by the FBI.
The T206 Doyle, one of the most important rarities of all vintage cards, cruised to a final record-selling price of $329,000, shocking many collectors and surpassing by more than 500 percent the previous auction sale price of this legendary rarity.
A T206 Plank sold for $188,000, a record price for this grade, and also more than five times the previous auction selling price. An 1886‹0 Old Judge tobacco card collection of 592 cards realized $211,500, surprising Nineteenth Century collectors who expected these to sell at a far more modest level.
Then a 1915 Cracker Jack poster, which appeared on the REA catalog’s cover, sold for $152,750, setting a record not just for all baseball card-related advertising posters from any era, but also for any Twentieth Century American product advertising poster of any kind.
Additional extraordinary highlights include a complete set of 1909‱1 T206 white border tobacco cards, all PSA-graded, that realized $176,250. A complete set of 1952 Topps brought $105,750.
The collection of nine 1953‵4 Briggs Meats two-card panels, which were issued with hot dogs and saved for decades by an old time Baltimore-area collector, was hotly contested. The best group of this important rare regional issue to ever be offered at auction exceeded even the wildest estimates of market watchers, selling for $82,225.
The T206 Plank match to the famous Gretzky-McNall Wagner was a favorite of many sophisticated collectors. It is one of only a few Planks with a Piedmont back and the only example surviving in a proof-like state. To many, the existence of this card has long been just a rumor. Its unveiling in this auction was a landmark event. From the Charlie Conlon collection, where it quietly resided for the past 20 years, it sold for $111,625.
Also from the Conlon estate, 26 original wax cases of 1975 Topps “Minis” generated excitement among collectors. Conlon was famous for cornering the market on unopened 1975 Topps “Mini” cases when they were first issued. Competition was fierce; the cases were offered in eight lots and sold for a total of $307,000.
An extraordinary find of unopened 1930s boxes and packs had been saved by a candy and gum distributor as ordering samples, and had remained untouched and perfectly preserved on their product sample shelves for the past 70-plus years. The family consigning this exciting find hoped that the total sales for the collection would approach $100,000.
“Several days before the auction closed, this figure had been reached, and they called REA to say they were already thrilled with the results, and that if the bidding went any higher, that would be great, but their expectations had already been exceeded,” REA president Robert Lifson said. “When the dust settled on the final night of the auction, the total sales for the collection went to $336,343. This was a once-in-a-lifetime offering. Collectors wanted to take something home from this find,” added Lifson.
The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card, one of the legendary rarities, sold for $150,800 in poor condition. The R306 Butter Cream Confectionary of Babe Ruth, another new discovery and only the third example of this extreme rarity known, realized $55,812. The 1915 Cracker Jack of Christy Mathewson, sold for $41,125.
Highlights outside cards were also numerous. Some top lots included Babe Ruth’s 1932 cap, which sold for $99,875; Tom Seaver’s 1967 Mets jersey brought $47,000; and Don Drysdale’s 1963 home jersey was perhaps the biggest surprise, selling for an $55,812.
A 1945 Don Hutson Green Bay Packers game-used home jersey, a birthday gift from Hutson to NBA trainer Joe Proski when he was a youngster, sold for $70,500.
All prices given include the buyer’s premium.
For information, www.RobertEdwardAuctions.com or 908-226-9900.
