Babe Ruth gum card, Ty Cobb tobacco cards set records in REA auction

A classic Babe Ruth card and two rare Ty Cobb tobacco cards were among the record-setting cards in REA’s March Encore Auction that closed Sunday night.

A 1933 V353 World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey #80 Babe Ruth card graded PSA EX-NM 6 sold for $32,400 led the way in the auction, which included more than 3,300 lots and generated over $1.3 million in sales across nearly 66,000 bids.

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Other record-setting cards include a 1911 E94 George Close Candy Ty Cobb (SGC POOR 1) that sold for $28,000, and a 1909-1911 T206 White Border Ty Cobb Bat Off Shoulder (PSA EX 5) with a Tolstoi Back that sold for $27,600, both records for their respective grades.

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Another rare and possibly unique Ruth card that sold for five figures was a 1921 Schapira Bros. Candy Babe Ruth Waiting For A High One and Portrait Partial Box (SGC Authentic), which sold for $10,800.

“Our March Auction substantiated how strong the vintage market continues to be, with multiple records set and a significant number of bids placed across hundreds of vintage items,” said Brian Dwyer, president of REA. “This was a great result for us and our consignors. It’s a great setup for our Spring Catalog Auction starting in less than two weeks, which includes some incredible new-to-the-hobby cards and memorabilia items that we’re excited to share more about in the days ahead.”

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Other top sellers in the auction include:

• 1976 Topps #500 Reggie Jackson (PSA GEM MINT 10) $30,000.

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• 1980-1981 Topps Basketball Larry Bird/Magic Johnson Rookie (PSA MINT 9) $25,200, nearly double recent sales results and the highest price in two years.

• 1948-1949 Leaf #79 Jackie Robinson Rookie (PSA VG+ 3.5) $23,400.

• 1911 M110 Sporting Life Cabinet Honus Wagner (PSA GOOD 2, MK) $14,400.

• 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle Rookie (SGC GOOD+ 2.5) $14,400.

• 1888 N28 Allen & Ginter John Clarkson (PSA EX-MT 6) $8,100, a record for the grade.

• Billy Southworth single-signed Baseball $8,100.

• 1909-1911 T206 White Border Cy Young Portrait (Brown Hindu Back) (PSA POOR 1) $7,500, another record for the grade.

• 1934 R320 Goudey #37 Lou Gehrig (SGC GOOD+ 2.5) $5,280, a record for the grade.

REA’s Spring Catalog Auction will run April 5-21. To receive a free catalog, please send an email to info@robertedwardauctions.com.