The complete second-year set of Goudey, known as the "Lou Gehrig Says" series sold in a recent Memory Lane auction for a whopping $53,475. The 1934 set contained all 96 cards, including 74 PSA 7s and received 31 bids, which blew away the SMR value of approximately $37,000. The auction that ended Aug. 10, contained more than 1,000 lots and topped the $2 million mark.
Memory Lane's second-highest price realized was for a 1963 H&B Louisville Slugger Mickey Mantle bat, which was graded A10 by MEARS and GU10 by PSA. The bat collected 19 bids and sold for $47,725.
Two 1912 Plow's Candy graded singles also went for big money, with a Honus Wagner PSA 7 selling for $40,825 and a Ty Cobb PSA 6 going for $23,552.
Other singles that sold for five figures included: 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 7 ($32,775); 1932 U.S. Caramel Gehrig PSA 8 ($23,825); 1932 U.S. Caramel Babe Ruth PSA 8 ($21,525); 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 5 ($20,375); 1952 Topps Mantle SGC 5.5 ($19,800); 1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw PSA 10 ($18,233); 1958 Topps Ted Williams PSA 9 ($17,500); 1939 Play Ball Morris Berg PSA 9 ($16,482); 1933 Goudey Ruth PSA 7 ($15,200); 1951 Bowman Yogi Berra PSA 9 ($12,900); 1932 U.S. Caramel Rogers Hornsby PSA 8 ($12,779); 1951 Bowman Whitey Ford GAI 9 ($12,325); 1887 N28 Allen & Ginter Adrian C. Anson PSA 8 ($12,325); 1948 Leaf Harry Brecheen PSA 7 ($12,159); 1909-11 T206 Howie Camnitz (Arm at Side) PSA 8 ($11,054); 1888 N162 Goodwin Champions Anson PSA 6 ($10,920); 1932 U.S. Caramel Cobb PSA 8 ($10,572); and a 1940 Play Ball Williams GAI 9 ($10,186).
In addition to the 1934 Goudey set, six other sets or partial sets hit the five-figure mark including: a 1909-11 T206 White Border set with only six cards missing ($21,832); a 1961 Fleer Basketball set that was nearly complete and all GAI graded, including a Bill Russell GAI 9 and Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain GAI 8.5s ($17,358); 1963 Fleer Baseball complete set that was all PSA graded, including 15 PSA 9s ($14,783); 1933 Tatoo Orbit starter set with 52 of the 60 cards, including two PSA 9s and one GAI 8 ($12,779); 1932 U.S. Caramel starter set of 25 cards ($12,448); and a 1960 Topps complete set with graded and raw cards, including a Mantle All-Star PSA 9 and a Carl Yaztrzemski rookie PSA 8 ($10,572). Narrowly missing the $10,000 mark was a 1975 Topps Baseball complete graded set with all PSA 9s and 8s, which sold for $9,842.
Memory Lane is known for high-grade, low-population report singles, but they also had a strong assortment of autographs in every auction, as well as some vintage first-generation photos in this auction. Leading the way for autographs was a Christy Mathewson signed cancelled check graded PSA 9, which sold for $19,225. A Ruth and Gehrig multi-signed baseball sold for $5,967; a single-signed batting pose Ruth photo sold for $5,604; a Mantle-signed cancelled check graded PSA 9 sold for $5,415; and a Roberto Clemente signed cancelled check graded PSA 9 sold for $5,415. The most notable vintage photo was a circa-1912 Walter Johnson from the Culver Archives, which sold for $1,587.
Other notable singles selling in the auction included: 1959 Topps Mantle PSA 9 ($9,860); 1933 Goudey Ruth PSA 7 ($9,842); 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio PSA 8 ($9,490); 1957 Topps Mantle PSA 9 ($9,490); 1941 Play Ball Charlie Keller PSA 9 ($9,359); 1953 Bowman Color Duke Snider PSA 9 ($9,260); 1950 Bowman Jackie Robinson PSA 9 ($9,025); 1951 Bowman Willie Mays PSA 8 ($8,947); 1911 T205 Gold Border Cobb PSA 6 ($8,947); 1954 Topps Mays ($8,737); 1911 T205 Sweet Caporal Mathewson SGC 7 ($8,134); 1934 Goudey Blondy Ryan PSA 9 ($7,734); 1948 Leaf Phil Cavaretta PSA 7 ($7,550); 1933 Sport Kings Ruth PSA 7 ($7,395); 1952 Topps Mays PSA 8 ($7,395); 1951 Parkhurst Gordie Howe PSA 8 ($7,220); 1911 T205 Gold Border Walter Johnson PSA 6 ($7,208); and five different 1934 Goudey PSA 9 singles, including George Earnshaw, Ed Holley, Cliff Bolton, Mel Harder and Bob Weiland that sold for $7,031 each.
For more information on Memory Lane Inc. or the auction, visit the website at www.memorylaneinc.com or call (877) 606-5263.
