Memory Lane Inc. November auction exceeds $1 milli

Memory Lane's lineup of high-quality graded cards and autographed material tallied more than $1 million in its Nov. 16 Buried Treasure IV auction. The feature item, a 1927 single-signed Babe Ruth ball from Harry Gates, who received the ball personally from Ruth as a child, sold for $34,175 with the buyer's premium.

"I was shocked by the huge number of people who viewed the special video interview of Mr. Gates telling his story we posted on our website," said J.P. Cohen, direct of client services at Memory Lane. "And the great story about Mr. Gates that USA Today did on Mr. Gates and the ball. The ball truly is a special and rare piece."

The auction also featured a 1932 U.S. Caramel Bobby Jones card in a PSA 9, which sold for $41,400, which is $21,000 above the SMR book value.

Other graded singles highlights include: 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth No.181 PSA 8 ($19,550); 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth No.53 PSA 7 ($14,625); 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig No.92 PSA 8 ($9,490); 1933 Sport Kings Ty Cobb GAI 9 ($19,550); 1888 N29 Allen & Ginter William Ewing PSA 9 ($16,961); 1911 T205 Christy Mathewson SGC 84 ($9,025); 1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson PSA 9 ($12,325); 1951 Bowman Yogi Berra PSA 9 ($10,186); 1951 Bowman Willie Mays PSA 8 ($9,860); 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 ($10,920); 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 ($11,114); 1963 Topps Pete Rose PSA 9 ($10,186); 1949 Bowman Robin Roberts PSA 9 ($4,365); 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella PSA 9 ($7,653); and a 1958 Topps Early Wynn Yellow Letter PSA 10 ($8,205).

"Our collector customers want high-end graded cards and memorabilia items that are rare, unique, and graded by companies like PSA," said Roger Cameron, auction director at Memory Lane. "That's why we are so very selective in choosing what we put into our auctions. That's why our auctions are so popular with the really discerning collectors."

Another big part of Memory Lane's lineup was complete sets. A 1969 Topps Super set that ranked No. 1 in the PSA Set Registry sold for $24,725. In addition, a 1941 Play Ball set ranked No. 5 in the registry sold for $24,725, with a 1954 Red Heart set ranked No. 2 also selling for $24,725.

Other highlights include: a raw 1919-21 W514 Strip set of all 124 cards filled with early Hall of Fame players like Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and seven of the eight Chicago Black Sox players (including Shoeless Joe Jackson) sold for $5,415; a 1970 Topps Supers ranked No. 1 in the registry - $5,811; a 1986-87 Fleer Basketball starter set consisting of 68 PSA 10s sold for $11,483; a 1911-12 C55 hockey cards sold for $10,186; and a 1954 Topps hockey set with all cards graded near-mint or better sold for $7,459.

Another major portion of Memory Lane's auction featured PSA-slabbed autographs and cancelled checks. Included were a couple of Babe Ruth signatures; a Mint 9 cancelled check and a Gem Mint 10 signed album page which realized values of $5,811 and $3,873 respectively; a combined lot with Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe cancelled checks graded Mint 9s attained a price of $2,646. In addition a PSA Mint 9 Lou Gehrig signature brought $3,608, while a Gem Mint 10 Cy Young government postcard sold for $1,755.

Finally, dozens of lots offered graded wax packs, pack groupings, racks and boxes, led by a 1957 Topps Baseball wax 5-cent pack (second series), graded a NM-MT 8, selling for $2,646. Other highlights included: 1960 Topps Baseball unopened graded wax box (second series) sold for $10,920; 1968 Topps Football unopened graded wax box sold for $5,811; 1953 Topps Baseball wax pack GAI 5 sold for $3,110; and a 1955 Topps Baseball wax pack sold for $1,278.

To view the complete auction results or for more information on Memory Lane, visit their website at www.memorylaneinc.com, or call (877) 606-5263) to register for the next auction.