REA’s Annual Auction to Include T206 Wagner, Ruth Bat and Ali’s ‘Thrilla in Manilla’ Shorts

The catalog for Robert Edward Auctions’ 2012 blockbuster sale will ship on April 16. Inside the catalog will be hundreds of items worthy of the most prestigious collections in the world, both public and private. The auction will open April 16 and close May 12. Bidding can be conducted by fax, phone or via the website www.robertedwardauctions.com. Total sales for the event are expected to exceed $5 million.

“We have been assembling material, writing and researching all year long, hoping to make this a special event for everyone. At the same time, we hope to give collectors and historians valuable reference material,” says REA President Robert Lifson. “We’re trying to do more than just have an auction. We’re trying to create a positive event that is historic, that makes collecting fun, promotes a love of history and that everyone can be a part of, as a bidder, a consignor or just as an observer.

“We’re amazed at some of the special collections in this auction. We’ve been a magnet for vintage cards, including many incredible new finds. We also have an unusually strong boxing section and have assembled an extremely impressive selection of Americana. Every time we turned around, we were offered something great in baseball memorabilia, cards, boxing and Americana."

Among the big highlights, according to Lifson is an incredible T206 Wagner, a Babe Ruth bat, Muhammad Ali’s trunks from the “Thrilla In Manilla” fight, a 1933 Goudey Lajoie in Mint condition and Babe Ruth’s rookie card. The auction will feature more than 1,500 lots. Just some of the spotlighted items are featured below.

T206 Honus Wagner: The famous T206 Honus Wagner needs no introduction and is a star wherever he goes, but this auction features a particularly extraordinary example of the most valuable card in the world. The date “Oct 16 1909” is stamped in purple ink on the reverse.

“This is an incredible card with or without the stamp, but the date stamp gives this card an amazing significance,” Lifson said. “Not only is this the only T206 Honus Wagner card that actually dates itself – which all alone is interesting as the T206 Honus Wagner card was only issued in 1909 – Oct. 16 is the date of the final and deciding game of the 1909 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers.”

The date-stamped 1909 T206 Wagner has a reserve of $100,000 and is expected to sell for more than $300,000.

1912 Ty Cobb Tobacco Tin: The finest example in existence of the Ty Cobb Tobacco tin, one of collecting's most legendary rarities, in unheard of Mint condition. There has not been another example that can compare to this incredible gem. The Ty Cobb Tobacco Tin is one of the most elusive of all baseball tobacco-related items. It has the same rarity as the T206 Ty Cobb card with Ty Cobb Tobacco advertising back (approximately 12 of each are known). Even the original blue tobacco tax stamp paper strip is still attached. It is the only Ty Cobb Tobacco tin on which the original tax stamp strip remains. (Res. $40,000; est. open).

1923 Babe Ruth Bat: Included in the auction is an extraordinary 1923 Babe Ruth bat. The extensive research on this bat suggests it was probably with Ruth on opening day at Yankee Stadium in 1923. It is the very same style bat that factory records show were sent to Ruth one week before Opening Day, and that he is seen holding in all photos taken on Opening Day in 1923.

Legendary Card Rarities Including Babe Ruth rookie. This sale will include virtually every one of the baseball card collecting world’s most revered “Holy Grails.” In addition to the famous T206 Honus Wagner, included are all of the others rarities of the T206 set, some with several examples. The rare T206 “Slow Joe” Doyle, NY Nat’l, one of fewer than 10 examples known to exist, is the famous Joe Pelaez Collection example. One of the greatest treasures of all tobacco cards, the only other example of the rare T206 Doyle that REA has ever offered sold for $329,000 in 2009. The rare T206 Doyle has a reserve of $100,000.

Not one but two examples of the 1916 Babe Ruth rookie card are featured, one in Ex-Mt condition and one in Vg-Ex, each with a reserve of $10,000. “The Babe Ruth rookie is never going out of style, and has been a particularly hot card in the marketplace lately,” Lifson said. “These are fresh to the collecting world examples.” The T206 Eddie Plank, another of card collecting’s most famous rarities, is represented in this auction with an astounding four examples. Ranging in grade from Good to Ex-Mt, each card is very different and will appeal to a different type of collector, with reserves ranging from $5,000 (estimate $10,000/$20,000+) in good condition to a reserve of $25,000 (estimate $50,000+) for the Ex-Mt example.

Also featured is the finest example in the world of the famous 1933 #106 Nap Lajoie (graded MINT 9 by PSA) (res. $25,000, est. $50,000+). A second 1933 Goudey #106 Lajoie from an old-time collection is in Very Good to Excellent condition (res. of $5,000, Est. $10,000/$15,000+). Yet another legendary card on every short list of the collecting world’s most important baseball cards is the 1909-1911 E90-1 American Caramel Joe Jackson. Three examples of this iconic card are featured, including one in Vg-Ex condition (res. $10,000; est. $20,000+).

Nineteenth Century Baseball Memorabilia. Nineteenth-century baseball cardsand items of great historical significance have always been a special area of interest for REA. This auction has some of the most remarkable items in this important area to ever come to auction. Among them: An extraordinary book owned and signed by Alexander Joy Cartwight Jr., the “Father of Baseball,” in 1839 that may have been his inspiration to form the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club and to design the baseball field in the manner that he did! (Cartwright family provenance; Reserve $5,000; the estimate is “open”). An incredible newly-discovered collection of 1860s baseball CDV photographs and trade cards is one of the most extraordinary baseball card finds ever for cards dating from the dawn of professional baseball. Included among the eight circa 1870 team cards (many of which were issued by Peck & Snyder Sporting Goods) is the finest example known of the 1868 Brooklyn Atlantics (res. $5,000) and two 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings team cards (res. $5,000 each). Also included in the auction are over four hundred 1886-1890 N172 Goodwin Old Judge baseball cards, one of the largest collections to ever come to auction, including many Hall of Famers and rarities.

Prewar Card Rarities. In addition to the rarities described above, this year’s auction includes a staggering number of incredible prewar baseball cards. Among the many highlights are several remarkable original-owner collections including the Dawley Collection, featuring a complete near-complete set of 1916 M101-4 Herpolsheimer Clothing Co. cards (194 of 200) including one of the two Babe Ruth rookie cards in the auction. The Dawley family originally lived in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the company was located, and the grandfather personally got these cards in 1916 directly from the Herpolsheimer Co. They have remained in perfect condition, untouched, as family keepsakes for almost one-hundred years. Thousands of 1910 era tobacco and candy cards, and 1930s gum cards, representing virtually all important baseball card sets, are featured.

More Prewar Card Rarities. There are so many prewar highlights it would be impossible to list them all. A complete set of 1909 T204 Ramly Cigarettes cards (121) is one of the many great prewar card highlights (Reserve $10,000. Estimate $20,000/$30,000+). The 1912 Boston Garter advertising card of Eddie Collins (res. $10,000; est. open is an amazing highlight that has been locked away in a private collection and has not seen the light of day in the organized collecting world in decades. Many T206 rarities including three Magie error cards, many rare backs including Uzit and Drum, and many extremely high-grade T206 examples, in addition to several near-complete sets and original-owner T206 collections. An extraordinary selection of Cracker Jack baseball cards includes the highest-grade 1914 Cracker Jack card of Ty Cobb (PSA NM-MT+ 8.5; res. $15,000/est.$30,000+) and an incredible 1915 Cracker Jack of Ty Cobb (SGC NM/MT+ 92; res. $10,000; est $20,000+). The highest graded 1915 Cracker Jack of Christy Mathewson in the universe in unheard of MINT condition (res. $10,000; est. $20,000+) is also included.

Postwar baseballcards are also in abundance in this incredible sale, including six examples of the classic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (among them an incredible gem that is believed to have originated from Alan “Mr. Mint” Rosen’s historic 1952 Topps find in the 1980s); a 1952 Topps near-complete set (res. $5,000; est. $10,000/$15,000); two examples of the 1968 Topps 3D Roberto Clemente, the single most valuable card from the entire decade of the 1960s (one MINT, the other GEM MINT; each carrying a reserve of $5,000); and extraordinary, high-grade examples of 1950s and 1960s cards of the era’s top stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, and many more. Also included are complete or near-complete sets of virtually every major postwar issue from 1948-72.

Game-Used Bats and Jerseys: The auction presents an exceptional selection of game-used bats and jerseys. Bats included are those of legendary Hall of Famers such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, George Sisler, Brooks Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, among others, as well as more modern stars such as Derek Jeter. Game-worn jerseys include those of stars such as Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and others, highlighted by Hank Aaron’s 1976 Milwaukee Brewers signed road uniform dating from his final season with a letter of authenticity from Hank Aaron!

Autographs: Autographed memorabilia is another extremely strong area. Autographs of Ruth and Cobb and Gehrig are included, as well as almost-never-seen extremely rare items signed by early Hall of Famers such as James “Orator” O’Rourke, Cap Anson, Amos Rusie and Henry Chadwick. Also of special note is an extraordinary 1933 American League All-Star team-signed ball with Ruth, Gehrig and 12 other Hall of Fame players (total 20 signatures), one of the finest in existence with regard to both completeness and condition (res. $10,000; est. open). Player contracts include many Hall of Famers, among them Pee Wee Reese, Nellie Fox, Duke Snider, Eddie Collins, Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron, and many others. But perhaps the most fascinating player contract is that of a non-hall of famer: 1919 “Black Sox” member Chick Gandil. This contract comes with the extraordinary provenance of originating directly from the family of Bill Veeck, former owner of the White Sox who purchased the team from Charles Comiskey. In addition to autographed items from all eras, the auction also presents particularly rare and noteworthy single-signed Hall of Fame balls, including Jimmie Foxx, Jackie Robinson, Harry Hooper, George Sisler, and Rogers Hornsby, in addition to spectacular high-grade examples of Babe Ruth, and Mel Ott. Perhaps most extraordinary is a collection of five single-signed balls representing all five first Hall of Fame inductees, including Honus Wagner (res. $1,000; est. $2,500+); Walter Johnson (res. $2,500); and extraordinary rarity Christy Mathewson (res. $10,000; est. open).

Boxing, Football, Basketball:Sports other than baseball are also represented by a

significant selection of extremely high quality items, including: The trunks worn by Muhammad Ali in his epic 1975 “Thrilla in Manilla” win over Joe Frazier. The trunks were saved by Ali’s assistant trainer and friend Drew “Bundini” Brown (res. $25,000; est. open); Nate “Tiny” Archibald’s personal example of the classic NBA "50 Greatest Players" Signed Limited-Edition Lithograph (res. $10,000; est. $20,000/$40,000); the “Michigan Farmhouse” example of the “Holy Grail” of football cards: the 1894 Mayo's Cut Plug Football Dunlop which was miraculously just recently found, beautifully preserved in a scrapbook discovered in a farmhouse being cleaned out. The reserve is only $1,000. Also included: circa 1973-1974 Jerry West Los Angeles Lakers Signed Game-Used Road Jersey (res. $2,500); Muhammad Ali Fight-Worn Robe from the 1972 Heavyweight Title Bout Against Jerry Quarry (res. $5,000/est. $10,000+); and circa 1971-1972 Joe Namath New York Jets Game-Used Road Jersey (res. $2,500; est. $10,000+).

Americana: Items signed by virtually every U.S. president are highlighted by two George Washington and four Abraham Lincoln signed documents. Included is a 1783 George Washington signed Military-Discharge Document (res. $2,500; est 10,000+) and a 1787 George Washington Signed Potomac Navigation Company Document (res. $1,500; est 5000+). An 1865 Abraham Lincoln Signed Military Appointment - Signed by Lincoln Just Two Months Prior to His Assassination – carries a reserve of $1,500 and an estimate of $5,000+. Al Capone’s 1929 Signed Official Police Fingerprint Booking Card (res. $10,000; est. open) may be the single most desirable Al Capone artifact that could possibly exist. Important documents signed by household names such as Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Marilyn Monroe are also featured in the Americana section.

Non-Sport Cards and Original Artwork: A strong selection of nonsport cards and related items are yet another highlight section of the sale. Thousands of nonsport cards including many key sets dating from the 1880s to the 1960s are included. Perhaps most important among all nonsport card items is the only complete set in uncut sheets in existence of 1940 R145 Gum Inc. "Superman" gum cards (res. $15,000; est. $30,000+). A selection of original artworks used to produce cards is also featured and include: two 1966 Topps "Batman" (Norm Saunders) and an incredible 15 1951 Bowman "Jets, Rockets, Spacemen" paintings. Any 1962 Mars Attacks original artwork is a great prize in the nonsport collecting world. The auction includes three examples: The 1962 Topps Mars Attacks original artworks for card # #4 “Saucers Blast Our Jets”, card #17 “Beast And The Beauty” (The Ultimate Norm Saunders Card Artwork as Sauders is featured in the painting!), and for card #37 “Creeping Menace”. Each is an iconic painting by Norm Saunders and among the most desirable nonsport card artworks in existence (each res. $5,000; est. $10,000+).

To review the catalog online, learn more about Robert Edward Auctions, receive a complimentary copy of the catalog or inquire about consignments, visit http://www.robertedwardauctions.com. For further information, contact Robert Edward Auctions, PO Box 7256, Watchung, NJ 07069, or call (908) 226-9900.