Cards
Iconic Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle cards lead way in REA Spring Catalog Auction
Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle always seem to lead the way, whether you’re evaluating their legendary on-field performances or their consistent value on the sports collectibles market.
That was the case again in the Spring Catalog Auction at REA, where rare Ruth and Mantle vintage cards were once again top sellers.
A newly discovered 1916 M101-4/5 Morehouse Baking #151 Babe Ruth Rookie card (PSA POOR 1) topped the auction at $336,000, while a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle (SGC NM+ 7.5) sold for $264,000.
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Other auction highlights included a 1960 Topps complete set ranked fourth on the PSA Set Registry that sold for $300,000; a 1966-1967 Topps Test USA Hockey #35 Bobby Orr Rookie (PSA MINT 9) that finished at $240,00; and a T206 SGC and PSA graded near complete set that includes 516 of the 524 total cards that sold for $186,000.
“We were very excited about the overall selection and vast diversity that this event offered and the results certainly didn’t disappoint,” REA President Brian Dwyer said. “While we’re very excited about the strong results of the rare and high-grade cards in the event, there were many strong results in burgeoning areas of the hobby like game-used memorabilia and unopened material, which is a great sign that the industry is doing very well right now.”
Two other big sellers were a 1935 R331 National Chicle Football #34 Bronko Nagurski Rookie (SGC NM/MT 8), the only example of this iconic football card graded at this level by SGC, which sold for $111,000, a record for the grade, and a stunning 1961-1962 Fleer Basketball #8 Wilt Chamberlain Rookie (SGC MINT 9) that sold for $93,000.
Several complete and near-complete sets also produced impressive results, including a rare partial set of 1888 N338-2 S. F. Hess cards that sold for $99,000 and a 1955 Bowman complete master set ranked second on the PSA Set Registry that sold for $90,000. A 1959 Topps complete master set ranked 10th on the PSA Set Registry sold for $75,000.
Other notable sales included:
• 1917 E135 Collins-McCarthy #147 Babe Ruth Blank Back (PSA GOOD+ 2.5) $174,000.
• 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie (PSA GEM MINT 10) $126,000.
• 1909-1911 T206 White Border Eddie Plank (SGC FAIR 1.5) $126,000 (record for the grade).
• 1910 E90-2 American Caramel Honus Wagner (PSA VG-EX 4) $111,000 (record for the grade).
• 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle (SGC VG/EX 4) $108,000.
• 1915 E145 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson (PSA EX 5) $99,000 (record for the grade).
• 1933 R338 Sport Kings #2 Babe Ruth (SGC NM/MT+ 8.5) $84,000.
• 1965 Topps Football #122 Joe Namath Rookie (PSA NM-MT 8) $49,200.
• 1966 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles signed game-used World Series road jersey (MEARS A10) $37,200.
The auction also included a collection of nearly a dozen presidential single-signed baseballs that sold for more than $327,000. Some of the notable signatures included Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and Calvin Coolidge.
REA’s next event will be its May Monthly Auction that runs May 8-18.
