Honus Wagner Card Draws $22,000 Winning Bid in Col

A 1902 W600 Sporting Life cabinet card showing Honus Wagner in street clothes generated highly competitive bidding and a winning offer of $22,152 in Collectible Classics' recent online and phone auction. All prices include the 15-percent buyer's premium.

"This may be a record price for a W600 cabinet," said John Burk, who owns the Pittsburgh-area auction company with his wife, Judy. "It definitely is an exceptional price, which clearly demonstrates that we achieve very strong prices for quality and unusual vintage cards."

Burk said the card attracted a dozen bidders.

Various other cards and card groups brought lofty bids: a 1956 Topps Ernie Banks salesman's sample card, $731; a group of 11 different 1946-47 Cuban Sensacion baseball premiums, $797 and a 1928 Star Player Candy card of Jesse Haines graded Good 30 by SGC, $908.

Seven different bidders raised the bid for 10 different 1910 T223 Dixie Queen boxing cards, ranging from good to excellent, to $1,465. Seven 1920s and 1930s golf cards, all British, sold for $825.

A single-signed Lou Gehrig baseball led Collectible Classics' autograph sales with a bid of $8,419. PSA/DNA and Kevin Keating both authenticated the autograph.

Judy Burk pointed out that "Autographs are a growing component of our auctions. Our list of autograph consignors and bidders is growing steadily."
A 1941 program signed by Heisman Trophy Award winner Bruce Smith went for $2,036.

Other top performers among the autograph offerings were a Babe Ruth cut, $2,922; a handwritten Honus Wagner letter, $2,040; and a 16-by-20-inch
black-and-white photo of Mickey Mantle, $805.

Non-sport cards and memorabilia are a staple of these auctions, and a collection of airplane cards captured the most interest. A 1940s Cracker Jack V407 United Nations Battle Planers near set (140 of 147) sold for $1,180, a 1956 Topps Jets near-mint set for $805 and a 1957 Topps Planes Blue Backs ex-mt+ near-set (115 of 120) for $891.

A bidder took an 1896 copy of "Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War" from Frank Leslie's Illustrated for $410.

Complete auction results are available at the Collectible Classics website,
www.auctionscc.com, or by calling 724-446-3079.