Auctions
T206 Honus Wagner, 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards set records in historic $62.9 million Heritage auction
From Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner to Mickey Mantle and Michael Jordan, Heritage Auctions routinely offers the most iconic sports collectibles in the hobby.
The biggest names and most iconic cards and collectibles in the industry led to an historic Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction that generated a record $62.9 million in sales, making it the largest sports auction ever held. The total broke the previous record set in 2024 when Heritage’s Summer Auction generated $61.6 million, led by the sale of Ruth’s historic 1932 “Called Shot” home run jersey for $24 million.
“This was a landmark event for the entire sports-collecting hobby, bringing together extraordinary material from across generations and virtually every major collecting category,” said Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions. “The record-setting auction total and more than 200 individual auction records reflect both the exceptional quality of the offerings and the remarkable passion and confidence of collectors around the world who see Heritage as their priority destination for top sports collectibles.”
Among the more than 200 auction records was a record sale of the “holy grail,” a 1909-11 T206 Piedmont Honus Wagner card graded SGC Authentic, which sold for $5.8 million. One of just three known Wagner cards with the prized Piedmont advertising back, the card set a record for the highest price ever paid for any Wagner card graded Authentic. One of the most rare cards in the hobby, the Piedmont Wagner is even more rare since most Wagners carry a Sweet Caporal advertising back.
“Every T206 Honus Wagner is a cornerstone of the hobby, but this card stands apart even within that legendary group,” Ivy said. “Its status as one of just three known examples with a Piedmont back, combined with provenance that reaches back to the earliest days of the organized baseball-card market, makes it an extraordinary artifact. The $5.856 million result confirms that collectors recognize the profound rarity and historical significance of this remarkable card.”
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The auction also featured a record sale for the iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311. The card, graded PSA NM-MT 8-MBA Silver, sold for $3.7 million, a record for the PSA 8 grade, surpassing the previous mark by more than $1.2 million. The card’s PSA 8 grade places it among the finest surviving examples of the hobby’s most coveted postwar baseball card. Only 14 examples have received a higher PSA grade. A PSA 7 example sold for $716,750 on 53 bids in the same auction.
Along with the two most iconic baseball cards in the hobby, Heritage also sold one of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia in the world with the sale of the photo-matched 1986 Diego Maradona “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” game-used soccer ball, which sold for $3.3 million, a record for any non-jersey soccer item.
Maradona’s influence extended beyond the record-setting ball as a 1979 Panini Calciatori Maradona #312 card (PSA Gem Mint 10, MBA Silver) realized $225,700, a record for any Maradona card.
Such an historic auction would not be complete without a Babe Ruth appearance. A 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 (PSA 9) sold for $1.5 million, a record for the grade. Just six PSA 9 examples are known to exist, with only one graded higher.
Jordan weighed in one with a rare basketball card that also topped seven figures with a 2006 Fleer Michael Jordan 1986 Rookie Buyback Autograph #57 (BGS NM-MT+ 8.5, BAS Auto 10), numbered 11/23, selling for $1.2 million. Fleer originally issued Jordan’s iconic rookie unsigned before selecting 23 examples for a 2006 autograph promotion, creating one of the most coveted signed versions of the card.
Another Jordan card, the 2004 SP Game-Used Authentic Fabrics Dual Michael Jordan/Isiah Thomas Dual-Logos 1/1, sold for $869,250. The 1-of-1 card pairs game-used NBA logo patches from the two Hall of Famers.
The top game-worn memorabilia sale was a 1963 Sandy Koufax game-worn Los Angeles Dodgers jersey, graded MEARS A8.5 and photo-matched to multiple moments from one of the greatest pitching seasons in baseball history, sold for $1.3 million. The jersey has been matched to Koufax’s 20th victory of the 1963 season and Game 4 of the World Series, when he defeated the Yankees to complete the Dodgers’ sweep. It was also matched to imagery from the filming of the classic Mr. Ed TV episode “Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed.”
Other noted sales include:
• A 1915 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson #103 PSA NM-MT 8 card for $747,250.
• A photo-matched and signed 2006-07 Kobe Bryant game-worn Los Angeles Lakers jersey from his first season wearing No. 24 for $747,250.
• A 2024 Topps Now Shohei Ohtani Inscribed Autograph Gold #722B PSA Gem Mint 10, numbered 1/1, sold for $686,250. The card commemorates Ohtani’s Sept. 19, 2024 performance in Miami, when he became the first player in MLB history to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. Ohtani inscribed the card “50/50 Club 9/19/24.”
• Muhammad Ali’s photo-matched robe from the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila” against Joe Frazier, signed twice by Ali, for $549,000.
• A one-of-one 1998 Metal Universe Barry Sanders Gem Master #20 PSA NM 7—MBA Gold for $512,400, a record for any item associated with the Detroit Lions legend. The card was issued during Sanders’ final NFL season.
• A one-of-one 1998 SkyBox Metal Universe Peyton Manning Gem Master Rookie #189 PSA NM-MT+ 8.5-MBA Silver for $414,800, a record for any Manning collectible.
• A 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski #34 PSA NM 7 went for $402,600, more than doubling the previous record for any other card from the landmark football set.
• A 2024 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs SuperFractor Yoshinobu Yamamoto “Glove Down” #CRAYY BGS Mint 9 drew $500,200, a record for any Yamamoto item.
• A 1981 game-worn and signed Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripkenn Jr. rookie jersey photo-matched to his 1982 Topps Traded rookie card sold for $280,600, a record for any Ripken item.
• A photo-matched 2018-19 Luka Dončić game-worn Dallas Mavericks rookie jersey sold for $414,800, a record for any Dončić memorabilia item.
• A 2025 Cooper Flagg game-worn Dallas Mavericks rookie jersey, photo-matched to multiple games including a 35-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers, sold for $329,400, a record for any Flagg item.
