Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays still attracting big dollars for cards, memorabilia

With Jackie Robinson Day coming up on Saturday, April 15, check out this awesome vintage photograph of Robinson. The Acme News release is dated April 11, 1947 — just after Robinson arrived in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform to break baseball’s color barrier.

Acme News photo of Jackie Robinson from April 11, 1947.

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The well-detailed photograph shows Robinson during practice at Ebbets Field leaping high in the air for an errant throw around first base. While it drew only two bids on eBay, it brought a healthy price: $7,000.

On the other hand, an impressive 1952 Topps Robinson card inspired 98 bids on eBay in early March. The competition helped it soar to $36,203, putting it on our Top 10 chart last time out.

1952 Topps Jackie Robinson card.

Also See: Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente cards highlight REA auction

The eBay seller touted the card’s centering, but the photograph shows it’s far from perfect — crooked and off to one side. The real story with this card is its preservation; the bright coloring gives it a bold and crisp eye appeal, no doubt a key to its PSA 7 grade.

By the way, Robinson’s 1952 Topps card, if bearing a Gem-Mint 9 grade, can draw obscene prices. Goldin Auctions sold a PSA 9 specimen for $984,000 in 2021. Heritage Auctions got $960,000 for a PSA 9 Robby, also in 2021.

To put Jackie’s 1952 card in context, he was coming off a 1951 season that would have made fantasy baseball owners very happy: He hit .338 with 19 homers, 106 runs, 88 RBI and 25 steals. Before the 1952 season began, he turned 33 but went on to produce similar numbers: a .308 average with 19 homers, 103 runs, 75 RBI and 24 steals.

THE SAY-HEY KID

Say hey! Willie Mays turns 92 on May 6, and his stature continues to grow. Those who saw him play know why. For those who came after Mays’ 22-year career (he started with the New York Giants in 1951 and ended with the New York Mets in 1973), the stats tell the story: a .career 301 average, 660 homers and 339 steals. He won 12 Gold Gloves, appeared in 24 All-Star games and earned a Rookie of the Year award and two NL MVPs. Along the way, he flashed countless smiles on and around the ball field.

Mays’ 1951 Bowman rookie card is a beauty. It’s horizontally designed and features a striking and colorful illustration of The Say-Hey Kid in a batting pose.

1951 Bowman Willie Mays card.

Also See: 1921 Babe Ruth bat sells for record $1.85 million

In March, we spotted a PSA 6 example on eBay, and it sold for $22,761. On the surface, it’s an impressive price, but it reflects the notion that Mays is undervalued in the hobby. An 8-grade Mays rookie has been selling for between $165,000 and $265,000, per realized prices from the past three years. A 1951 Mickey Mantle in 8 condition sells for double that range. (Two Mantle PSA 8 examples in 2021 showed prices of $615,000, and another in 2022 brought $504,000.)

Still, a five-figure price is a five-figure price. Dying to get your hands on a Mays rookie without paying that much? Drop your condition expectations. We’ve seen the following change hands on eBay in recent months:

• A PSA 2.5 example sold for $6,165 on 43 bids.

• A PSA 1 brought $4,995 on 26 bids. Two other PSA 1s fetched prices of $4,773 on 74 bids and $4,551 on 49 bids.

• An ungraded but SGC-authenticated example went for $2,762 on 41 bids.

Clearly, per the bidding activity, collectors want Mays’ rookie even in “well-loved” condition.

THE KID: JUNIOR

Ken Griffey Jr. was in the news in March after taking batting practice before a World Baseball Classic contest. During his session, he wowed current players who idolized him during his long career. Video clips went viral of The Kid — a little beefier but with that trademark backwards-facing hat — taking his whacks and getting a rise out of USA players when he went deep. Many current players could be seen capturing the moment on cellphones.

The same week, we saw Griffey getting love from collectors when a seller offered a rare 1999 autographed Upper Deck Century Legends Gold card. Marked #38/100 and graded PSA 10, it sold for $18,600 on 48 bids.

1999 Upper Deck Century Legend Ken Griffey Jr. card.

The card came out at a key juncture in Griffey’s career. In 1999, he was 29 and at his absolute peak. Consider his stats the two previous seasons. In 1997, he hit 56 homers with 147 RBI. In 1998, he had almost identical numbers, hitting 56 homers with 146 RBI. And in 1999, he followed up with another monster season, blasting 48 more homers with 134 RBI.

THE ORIGINAL KID

If we’re giving ink to The Kid and The Say-Hey Kid, then it behooves us to squeeze in the original Kid — Teddy Ballgame. So here’s a look at his 1939 Play Ball, a classic card that gave us this understatement on the flip side: “Ted Williams, one of the youngest players in baseball, has a great future … .” He sure did. Over 19 seasons, he batted a loud .344 with 521 homers.

1939 Play Ball Ted Williams card.

Recent eBay listings show Williams’s 1939 Play Ball card selling for prices of:

• $13,620 on 69 bids for a PSA 7.

• $10,666 on 49 bids for a PSA 6.

• $7,989 on 35 bids for a PSA 5.