Rocky Mountain Card Collection and So Much More

One of the highest quality collections of individual sports cards in the hobby will join a fresh find of high-grade 1911 M101 Sporting Life cards and hundreds of vintage cards, unopened packs, autographs and other sports memorabilia in Memory Lane’s Summer Classics Auction, live July 31 and set to close on Aug. 24.

More than 1,000 lots are included in the auction, which leads off with 94 lots from The Rocky Mountain Collection, a remarkable accumulation of important sports cards from the 19th century through the early 21st century, many among the highest graded in the hobby.

The collection includes a 1916 M101-4 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth graded PSA 4.5. A Joe Jackson card graded Near Mint 7 from the same series will also be available.

Also find all four Ruth cards in the 1933 Goudey set, all graded PSA 8; a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card graded PSA 8; and several other vintage Mantles in high grade including a 1953 Bowman Color graded PSA 9. There are numerous 1915 Cracker Jack stars, including Jackson, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner; a PSA 9 Hank Aaron rookie card; and several high-grade T206 Hall of Famers.

“It’s rare to see so many great cards in one place, and we’re excited about the opportunity serious collectors will have to add them to their own collections,” said Memory Lane’s J.P. Cohen.

Coming to the market for the first time is a large find of 1911 M116 Sporting Life cards that have had only three owners since they were originally produced by the sports publication more than a century ago. Residing in a Pennsylvania man’s collection since 1988, the group includes a Honus Wagner (PSA 7), Walter Johnson (PSA 8) and Ty Cobb (PSA 6), among many others. The cards are in remarkable condition, with average grades in the Near Mint range.

Collectors of T206 cards will get a chance to bid on one of the “Big Four” when a PSA 1 Eddie Plank goes under the hammer. The scarce card has a Sweet Caporal advertising back.

A large collection of 1909 T204 Ramly cards is in the auction, including a PSA 4 Walter Johnson rookie. There are several 1911 T3 Turkey Red Cabinets, including a pair of Christy Mathewson cards.

Look for several key sets, including a fully graded 1911 T201 Mecca Double Folders issue, the fourth best 1940 Play Ball set on the PSA Set Registry, a 1950 Callahan set and a 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set.

Postwar high-grade cards include PSA 8 examples of Koufax, Banks, Maris, Brooks Robinson and Bob Gibson and a PSA 9 Carl Yastrzemski. There is a host of high-grade 1962 Topps, as well.

Football and basketball collectors will find a PSA 7 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Red Grange and high-grade, first-year issues of Johnny Unitas, Gale Sayers, Pete Maravich, Julius Erving and Michael Jordan, among others.

Vintage unopened material has been red hot in 2014, and Memory Lane will offer numerous packs, wax and vending boxes in this sale, topped by a 1971-72 Topps Basketball vending box and a 1972 Topps Series I Baseball box.

The finest known century-old Ty Cobb decal bat known to exist is among the top items in the memorabilia section of the catalog. The full-size bat measures 34¾ inches and weighs a whopping 41.6 ounces.

There are dozens of Hall of Fame autographs in the 174-page catalog, including a few Mantle-signed baseball cards, a high quality Roberto Clemente autographed photo and a hoard of 344 Gateway Stamp Company First Day Covers featuring autographs from the likes of Mantle, DiMaggio, Koufax, Mays, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, Bear Bryant and even Ronald Reagan.

To register for the auction and receive a free catalog, visit www.memorylaneinc.com or call (877) 606-5263.