Mickey Mantle cards, rare Ted Williams gem highlight REA September auction

An impressive collection of Mickey Mantle cards and a rare Ted Williams gem highlight the September Encore Auction at Robert Edward Auctions.

The auction, which opened on Sept. 13 and includes more than 3,600 items, is highlighted by a fresh-to-the-hobby example of Mickey Mantle’s iconic 1952 Topps card graded SGC 2.5. 

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The auction runs through Sunday, Sept. 24 with all bidding starting at $10.

“Coming off the tremendous success of our Summer Catalog Auction in August, we’re picking up right where we left off with our September event,” REA President Brian Dwyer said. “This is one of our largest auctions of the year with nearly 3,700 items that spans more than 130 years of history across multiple sports and collectible categories.”

Other Mantle cards featured in the auction include: a 1951 Bowman rookie; a signed 1952 Bowman with a GEM 10 autograph; and high-grade examples of Topps classics from the 1950s and ’60s, including his 1956 Topps (PSA 7) and a 1959 Topps (PSA 8) cards.

The Ted Williams card is a 1954 Wilson Franks card (SGC EX 5) that was part of legendary collector Lionel Carter’s massive collection. The card is hard to find even in mid-grades due to the staining that occurred from being included in hot dog packages.

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The auction also features 11 lots from the popular 1948 Leaf set, including: #1 Joe DiMaggio (SGC EX 5); #3 Babe Ruth (SGC VG 3); #76 Ted Williams (SGC VG/EX 4); and #11 Phil Rizzuto Rookie (SGC VG/EX 50).

There are also dozens of options from the 1955 Topps set, including Williams, Jackie Robinson and the rookie cards of Sandy Koufax and Roberto Clemente, each in SGC EX 5 grades.

Other key vintage and modern cards in the auction include:

• A 1915 E145 Cracker Jack #43 Rube Marquard (SGC MINT 9, 1 of 3), the highest graded example by SGC.

• 1915 E145 Cracker Jack #88 Christy Mathewson (SGC EX 5).

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• 1933 R319 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig (PSA VG-EX 4).

• 1910 E93 Standard Caramel Cy Young (PSA EX 5).

• 1913 WG6 Tom Barker Game Joe Jackson (SGC MINT 96, 1 of 3), the highest-graded example that was introduced as a card game.

• 1954 Bowman #161 Yogi Berra (PSA MINT 9), with only one graded higher by PSA out of more than 1,500 examples.

• 1962 Topps Football #17 Mike Ditka Rookie (PSA NM-MT 8).

• 1968 Topps Venezuelan #50 Willie Mays (PSA NM 7).

• 1980-1981 Topps Basketball Larry Bird/Julius Erving/Magic Johnson Rookie (PSA NM-MT 8).

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• 1982 Topps Traded #98T Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie (PSA GEM MINT 10).

• Two 1986-1987 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie cards (PSA NM-MT 8).

• 2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey #443 Alexander Ovechkin Rookie (PSA GEM MINT 10).

• 2018 Bowman's Best #1 Shohei Ohtani Rookie Red Refractor #5/10 (PSA GEM MINT 10).

Key memorabilia in the auction includes:

• A 1954 New York Giants (vs. Cleveland Indians) World Series Game 1 ticket stub graded and authenticated by PSA from Willie Mays' historic catch.

• A Ty Cobb-signed check from 1930 authenticated by PSA/DNA.

• A 1973 Phil Rizzuto New York Yankees Old Timers Game-Used home jersey that includes a LOA from Phil’s wife, Cora.

• A copy of the first issue of Sports Illustrated from August 16, 1954.