Spectacular T205 Gold Border set spotlighted by Am

The second-highest grade T205 Gold Border card set ever recorded in the PSA Set Registry highlights American Memorabilia’s The Fall Classic auction, which closes on Sept. 29.

Very rarely offered in any condition, the T205 set earned an aggregate 6.23 grade from PSA. More than 25 percent (57 cards) warranted either PSA 7 or PSA 8 grades, which company officials described as quite remarkable given the nature of their highly sensitive borders.

Individually, 28 of the cards have the highest PSA grades known to exist at this time. What’s more, the fully expanded, 219-card set includes every one of the 11 known variations.

“In terms of condition and completeness, this T205 set is one of the true giants of the card industry,” said Victor Moreno, American Memorabilia president. “Needless to say, we're proud and honored to offer such a rare piece of sports history to the public.”

The pre-eminent Gold Border set features no fewer than 25 Hall of Famers, a list that includes Home Run Baker (PSA 8), Chief Bender (5), Roger Bresnahan (6 and 6), Mordecai Brown (7), Frank Chance (7), Fred Clarke (7), Ty Cobb (7), Eddie Collins (6 and 7), Jimmy Collins (6), Hugh Duffy (7), Johnny Evers (7), Clark Griffith (6), Miller Huggins (7), Hughie Jennings (5), Walter Johnson (7), Addie Joss (6), Rube Marquard (7), Christy Mathewson (7), John McGraw (7), Tris Speaker (8), Joe Tinker (7), Bobby Wallace (6 and 7), Ed Walsh (6), Zach Wheat (7) and Cy Young (6).

The Fall Classic auction also features the personal collections of the late television western star Chuck Connors and former NBA sensation Dominique Wilkins.

Basketball fans who followed the career of Dominique Wilkins – from Washington High School in North Carolina to the University of Georgia to the Atlanta Hawks and other NBA teams – reveled in the “Human Highlight Film’s” incredible hardwood exploits. Now, those fans have a chance to share in Wilkins’ success, as he puts some of his most valuable memorabilia up for auction.

American Memorabilia officials announced that it is handling the Dominique Wilkins Personal Hall of Fame Collection, including his jerseys from high school all the way through his last professional jersey. Many of the trophies Wilkins earned throughout his illustrious career are included in the collection, including the 1990 NBA Gatorade Slam Dunk Contest trophy, plus most of his significant game basketballs, an NBA All-Star ring and a U.S. Olympic ring.

 Perhaps the most unusual item in the Wilkins Collection is a trumpet used by jazz legend Miles Davis, one of the world’s greatest trumpeters, composers and bandleaders. Wilkins acquired the trumpet shortly after Davis’ death on Sept. 28, 1991.

 Other items in the current American Memorabilia auction include game-used bats from Mickey Mantle (1966), Roberto Clemente (rookie era) and George Brett (1976, signed); a Pete Maravich-autographed 37-point game basketball used while playing for the New Orleans Jazz; a Fred Biletnikoff Super Bowl XI MVP trophy; and Chet Walker milestone basketball and uniforms.

Chuck Connors, who played Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as professional basketball with the Boston Celtics, appeared in a number of movies and TV series before and after “The Rifleman.” But his role as rancher Lucas McCain, who lived with his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) outside North Fork, N.M., in “The Rifleman,” is what he's remembered for best. The series ran on ABC-TV from September 1958 to April 1963, grabbing the No. 4 spot in the Nielsen ratings in its first season.

Items in the Chuck Connors Collection include the star that was presented to him in 1985 when his star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, original transparencies developed from the camera of a White House photographer and correspondence related to his meeting with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at the home of Richard Nixon, and other personal effects including Connors’ driver’s license, passport, sheriff’s badge and photo collection.

Connors played 66 games for the Cubs in 1951, batting .239 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 18 RBI and four stolen bases. He played one game for the Dodgers in 1949 after having played center for the Celtics during the 1946-47 season.

Also included in the American Memorabilia auction is a 1968 original Apple Records “Old England” watch such as the ones sold at the Beatles’ Apple Boutique on Baker Street in London’s Chelsea section, a Beatles “Yesterday and Today” album with a perfectly pealed “Butcher” cover, an original Rolling Stones multitrack audio reel from a May 18, 1967 session recorded at Olympic Studios in London, and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented posthumously to Ella Fitzgerald by the International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996.

Among the items that American Memorabilia has auctioned are Mantle’s first home run baseball for approximately $200,000, a 1955 Mantle game-worn jersey for $100,000 and Babe Ruth’s 702nd home run bat signed by the 1934 Yankees team for more than $99,000.

American Memorabilia’s 120-page, full-color auction catalog will be inserted in next week’s issue of Sports Collectors Digest (September 30).

For more information, call (800) 430-0667, or e-mail at info@americanmemorabilia.com.