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Rare 1933-34 Goudey cards coming to auction in Manny Gordon Collection at Memory Lane
As one of New York City’s foremost jewelers, Manny Gordon used his expertise as a successful diamond trader to rekindle his childhood passion for collecting baseball cards.
Beginning in 2007, Gordon began to use his keen eye and entrepreneurial spirit to amass one of the hobby’s most impressive vintage collections.
His collection, which includes a treasure trove of high-grade 1933 and 1934 Goudey cards, is now coming to auction at Memory Lane Inc.
Gordon, who was well known to fellow collectors, dealers, auction houses and others in the hobby, passed away from COVID in 2000. His multi-million dollar collection is up for bid in an auction that Memory Lane calls “a celebration of his incomparable life.”
Memory Lane’s Spring Auction will include a special standalone catalog featuring some of Gordon’s favorite and most valuable cards. The collection features 311 cards, all of them graded PSA Mint 9 or NM.MT 8, including all four Babe Ruth cards from the 1933 set (all graded PSA 8) as well as a Lou Gehrig card and a Hank Greenberg rookie card, both graded PSA 9.
While Gordon collected many of the hobby’s most popular tobacco and gum cards, including many high-grade T206 cards, his Goudey collection is one of the finest in existence.
The Goudey collection includes a rare Ruth #53 graded PSA 8. Memory Lane sold the only PSA 9 version of the card last year for $4.2 million as part of the Dr. Thomas Newman Collection.
The other three Ruth cards — #181, #14 and #144 — are also graded PSA 8 and among the best in class, with only five or fewer cards graded higher.
The Gehrig #92, graded PSA 9, is also expected to attract six figures; a PSA 8 sold for more than $300,000 last year. Only three have been graded higher.
Also among Memory Lane’s “Top 10” is the 1933 Goudey #1 of Benny Bengough (PSA 8.5); one of only three Greenberg rookie cards graded PSA 9; and two 1934 Goudey Gehrig cards graded PSA 8.
According to Memory Lane, many of the Gordon cards being offered are at or near the top of the all-time highest graded examples.
Memory Lane’s Spring Auction begins April 30 and runs through May 21. Registration and free catalogs are available on Memory Lane’s website.
