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Rare Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle cards highlight Memory Lane’s Fall Rarities Auction
Two months ago, Memory Lane Inc. sold an ultra-rare 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card for an astounding $4.2 million.
Now the company has another Ruth Goudey up for bid in its Fall Rarities Auction.
The 1933 Goudey Ruth #53, graded PSA 9, was the highest graded version of the card known to exist when it sold for a record $4.2 million as part of the $21.5 million Thomas Newman Collection. Another 1933 Ruth Goudey (#181, PSA 9) sold for a record $1.2 million in the same auction.
Memory Lane’s new 1933 Goudey Ruth #53, graded SGC 8.5, ranks as the highest SGC-graded Ruth Goudey card in the SCG population report. It opened with a bid of $200,000.
The card is one of many rare vintage cards and memorabilia items available in Memory Lane’s Fall Rarities auction. The auction is so big that the company produced two separate catalogs — one for rare vintage and modern cards and memorabilia, and one for rare vintage photographs.
The auction begins Sept. 25 and runs through Oct. 9.
Another showpiece of the auction is a 1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig #37. The autographed card is believed to have been acquired at Yankee Stadium in 1935 and passed down through an East Coast family. Graded and authenticated last spring, it is one of only five PSA-graded examples and was given an autograph grade of 8.
The auction also includes a 1933 Goudey Gehrig #92 that is not autographed, but is graded PSA 8, making it one of the hobby’s finest examples. Memory Lane sold another copy for a record $302,578 in its last auction.
There is also a 1921 E121 Series of 80 Ruth card graded PSA 7-PD that ranks as the highest graded example by PSA and SGC and is one of only 11 known.
The Ruth and Gehrig cards are among a large collection of vintage cards featuring Yankee legends, including a mix of early Mickey Mantle cards. The Mantle cards include a PSA 8 example of his 1951 Bowman rookie card and SGC 7 and PSA 6 copies of his iconic 1952 Topps issue.
Also included is a 1955 Mantle card graded PSA 9. The card came from a fresh pack that was opened on the main stage of the 2018 National Sports Collectors Convention.
The card catalog also features hundreds of high-end cards of pre- and post-war Hall of Famers and key rookies from all sports from practically every decade.
Key memorabilia include Ruth autographs, Mantle’s signed 1953 Yankees contract (for $17,500), Bob Gibson’s 1967 Cardinals contract, a Jackie Robinson-signed letter and dozens of autographed baseballs, bats and other items.
The second catalog features approximately 100 rare and historic photographs, mostly historic baseball images of the coveted Type 1 variety. The photos represent the work of some of baseball’s greatest photographers, including Carl Horner, Charles Conlon, George Grantham Bain, Paul Thompson and George Burke.
The collection features multiple Ruth batting/portrait images, several Tour of Japan illustrations and the iconic 1948 “Babe Bows Out” photo taken by Chunky Harris. Also available is a Gehrig portrait taken by George Burke showing an imposing batting photo and a rare “off the field” candid image of the Iron Horse on a boat with his dog.
A Charles Conlon photo of Christy Mathewson features a well-known pose utilized for advertising during the era, including Mathewson’s famous Tuxedo Tobacco ad that is coveted by collectors. Type 1 photos used for two of the hobby’s legendary baseball cards are also part of the sale, including one that became Nap Lajoie’s 1911 T3 Turkey Red card and another that was used for Tris Speaker’s 1914/’15 Cracker Jack issues.
Pre-rookie Joe DiMaggio (S.F. Seals) and Satchel Paige (K.C. Monarchs) illustrations highlight the mid-1930s to early 1940s. Bidders can also chase what is generally considered Jackie Robinson’s pinnacle image — a 1947 rookie photo of Robinson walking into the Dodger’s clubhouse the day after he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
There are also several early Mantle images from his 1951 rookie campaign, including a spring training photo that pre-dates his first official Yankee game.
Free copies of the auction catalog, bidder registration and other information can be found at www.memorylaneinc.com or call 877.606.5263.
