Ty Cobb
1950s Topps complete sets top REA May auction
For many baseball card collectors, the 1950s were the golden age of the hobby.
That proved true again Sunday in the May Encore Auction at Robert Edward Auctions, which had three baseball sets from the 1950s all sell for big dollars.
The top seller was a 1958 Topps near-complete set (493/494) which sold for $126,000. Filled with Hall of Famers like Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, the set was ranked #13 on the PSA Set Registry with a 8.00 GPA.
Other top sellers included: a 1957 Topps complete set (#24 on the PSA Set Registry; 8.00 GPA) that sold for $99,000; and a 1959 Topps complete set (#29 on the PSA Set Registry; 8.01 GPA) for $72,000.
Other auction highlights were a 1909-1911 T206 Ty Cobb Bat Off Shoulder (PSA Fair 1.5) with a rare Uzit Back that sold for $54,000, a record for the grade and back combo, and a 1933 R319 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth (PSA 4) that also set a record for the grade at $30,000.
The auction featured more than 3,600 items and generated nearly $1.8 million in sales.
“There were a lot of very strong results in this auction, which underscored a few of the key trends unfolding across the hobby right now, including the resurgence of high-grade set building,” REA President Brian Dwyer said. “This is a very positive sign of great things to come in our upcoming events and the industry as a whole.”
Other top sellers in the auction included:
• 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente Rookie PSA NM-MT 8 for $52,800.
• 1933 R319 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth PSA VG+ 3.5 $15,600.
