Pristine cards and sets headline in August Memory

Memory Lane’s Aug. 11 auction produced more than $930,000 on just 288 Lots. Furious bidding was lead by a pristine 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio in PSA 9 that sold for $96,074, a robust 60 percent above book. A 1911 M116 Sporting Life Christy Mathewson (Pastel Background) in PSA 9 sold for $18,726, a strong 150 percent above book. And a 1953 Topps Whitey Ford in GAI 9.5 brought in an equally impressive 80 percent above the highest 9 in the book.

Literally dozens of vintage cards in the auction sold for many multiples of current “book” prices, including a 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle in PSA 10 ($10,571), a 1957 Topps Duke Snider in PSA 10 ($9,358), and a 1953 Topps Satchel Paige in GAI 9.5 ($15,989), and a 1949 Bowman Vernon Bickford (card No. 1 in the issue) in PSA 9 – $11,316.

The auction’s single, team, and All-Star groups of signed baseballs performed very well; for example a Cy Young ball with a clear, deep black, and bold signature sold for $9,025, and a number of team, and All-Star balls, and a 500 Home Run Club ball also showed well, each producing excellent values. A 1956 Topps Baseball complete set (shown at right), entirely graded, sold for $36,094, an unopened 1953 Topps Baseball 5-Cent wax pack in GAI 5 brought $3,762, and an unopened 1957 Topps Baseball 5-Cent wax pack in GAI 6.5 sold for $1,930.85. Four complete sets of 1952-55 Red Man Tobacco (sold as a single lot) were hammered down at $12,159.

Prewar Card Highlights: 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Babe Ruth PSA 8 – $24,606; 1933 Sport Kings Nat Holman PSA 8 – $21,835; and 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth PSA 7 – $18,045.

Post-war Bowman Baseball: 1949 Duke Snider rookie PSA 9 – $10,920; 1952 Bowman Yogi Berra PSA 9 MINT – $12,013; 1953 Topps Whitey Ford GAI 9.5 – $7,208; 1953 Bowman Color Mickey Mantle PSA 9 – $10,572; 1953 Bowman Color Whitey Ford PSA 9 – $24,019; 1953 Bowman Color Phil Rizzuto/Billy Martin PSA 9 – $6,164; 1953 Bowman Color Billy Martin PSA 9 – $6,164; 1954 Bowman Duke Snider PSA 10 – $9,359; 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 – $13,215; 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle GAI 9 – $8,722; 1959 Topps Mantle PSA 9 – $13,215; 1959 Topps Hank Aaron All-Star PSA 9 – $4,802; 1961 Topps Mantle All Star PSA 10 – $10,572; 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie PSA 9 – $5,415; 1948 Bowman Yogi Berra rookie PSA 9 – $9,928; 1948 Bowman Stan Musial PSA 9 – $9,928; 1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial PSA 9 – $6,553; 1953 Topps Satchel Paige GAI 8.5 – $2,036; 1954 Bowman Jimmy Piersall PSA 9 – $3,393; 1955 Topps Aaron SGC 88 – $1,189; 1956 Topps Willie Mays PSA 9 – $3,608; 1957 Topps Yankee’s Power Hitters PSA 8 – $3,521; and a 1958 Topps Clemente team letters PSA 9 – $4,923.

All results are posted on MLI’s Web site www.memorylaneinc.com. For more information e-mail to: contactus@memorylaneinc.com, or call (877) 606-LANE (5263). MLI is now taking consignments for the fall event.