Derek Jeter rookie card, vintage Ty Cobb gems highlight Memory Lane Summer Rarities Auction
It’s been 11 years since Derek Jeter ended his Hall of Fame career with the Yankees, but Jeter is still making an impact on the sports collectibles hobby.
Along with being a co-founder of marketplace Arena Club, Jeter’s coveted rookie card commands big dollars on the sports card market.
Memory Lane Inc. has a PSA 10 example of Jeter’s 1993 Upper Deck SP rookie card up for bid in its Summer Rarities Auction. More than 26,000 copies of the card have been graded, but only 22 have been graded Gem Mint 10. The card has an opening bid of $50,000.
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More than 80 years earlier, another Hall of Famer lent his legendary name to a brand of tobacco. A T206 card with a “Ty Cobb Tobacco” back had only had 21 examples graded by PSA, most entering the population report after a find in the 2010s. Memory Lane is offering a PSA 1.5 example with an opening bid of $50,000.
The auction, which runs through Sept. 13, also features a rare 1914 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb card graded PSA 5.
Among other pre-war listings is the number one-ranked 1888 N29 Allen & Ginter set on PSA’s Set Registry; a W600 Honus Wagner Type 4 photo from the T206 Carl Horner original; a collection of 1911 T3 Turkey Red cards; runs of graded T205 and T206 cards; and a PSA 8 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Babe Ruth.
Featured among other sports cards is a 1965 Topps Joe Namath “Tall Boy” rookie card graded PSA 8.5. Only five PSA-rated Namath rookies have graded higher.
The auction also features several breaks of complete and partial high-grade sets, including a 1953 Topps set with PSA 8 Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson cards and hundreds of high-end 1969 Topps cards from the collection of the late Dr. Mark Haverkos. Other breaks feature high-quality 1948 and 1953 Bowman football cards.
There are also dozens of 1950s and ‘60s graded hockey issues and unopened material, including a 2000 Playoff Contenders football box (with possible Tom Brady rookie cards) and 1976 Topps cello football box.
Memorabilia in the auction includes decal mini-bats from the early 1900s featuring Cobb, Joe Jackson, Tris Speaker and Frank Chance, along with autographed Babe Ruth baseballs and another highly-graded ball signed by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Also featured are game jerseys from Baseball Hall of Famers Early Wynn and Robin Roberts and a variety of vintage ticket stubs.