T206 Ed Walsh Old Mill (Blue Back) Headlines Huggins and Scott Sale

The National Sports Collectors Convention is known to bring out the best of the best in sports memorabilia, and at times, items that have never been seen before. A 1909-11 T206 White Border Ed Walsh with Blue Old Mill backing was a first at this year’s convention, and now the card will be offered in a Huggins and Scott sale that starts Dec. 3 and ends Dec. 13.

The 1909-11 T206 Old Mill advertising back is most commonly found with black text, while a handful of brown versions have been found. While assumed to exist only in those two colors, the National Convention unearthing of an Old Mill Blue Back variation picturing Ed Walsh caused quite a stir. Sportscard Guaranty has deemed the 1909-11 T206 White Border Ed Walsh Old Mill (Blue Back) is authentic and unaltered, grading it SGC 30 Good. Bidding starts at $15,000.

The Walsh card is just one of the gems in the Huggins and Scott auction that also includes a 1907 Ty Cobb Detroit Seamless Steel Tubes rookie postcard, graded SGC 20. The postcard is expected to sell for $10,000-$15,000.

The 1911-14 D304 Brunners Bread cards have seen a lot of attention in the past year, especially the Honus Wagner example. Huggins and Scott will offer five examples from that set, including Wagner (SGC 20), Fred Tenny (SGC 20) and Nap Lajoie (SGC 20).

Another prewar gem in the sale will be a 1909 E95 Philadelphia Caramel complete SGC-graded set of 25, inclusive of a SGC 60 Wagner. More highlights include a 1915 Cracker Jack Eddie Collins (GAI 8) and 1952 Topps Baseball Frank Campos (SGC 30) – black star variation.

A modern card that will turn some heads is the 1990 Topps #USA1 George Bush card, of which only 100 are believed to have been distributed. This example is graded BGS 8.5, the highest grade achieved for this card.

Away from sports cards, Huggins and Scott will offer a variety of other high-end items. One example is a 1927 New York Yankees World Series Game 3 program that features the famous Murderers’ Row. Babe Ruth hit a home run in this game.

Ruth will also be sought after in the form of an oversized signed photo from 1948, the year he died.

Another signed photo sure to get some bids is a period photo of legendary coach Knute Rockne. Rockne’s prominent (“7”) strength endorsement has been affixed to the lower right along with the inscription “Sincerely” in black ink by means of steel-tip fountain pen.

Wouldn’t it have been neat to see the debut of Mickey Mantle? One fan had that chance, as evidenced by a ticket stub to the game, held April 17, 1951. Another impressive ticket is a 1941 Lou Gehrig Memorial Yankee Stadium full ticket.

An item you will rarely see is a George Wright autographed 1896 dinner invitation, graded PSA/DNA 10. Wright was the first batter in National League history and one of the tougher 1800s Hall of Famers to get a signature of.

For more information on this auction, visit www.hugginsandscott.com or call (866) 462-2273.