By Joe Orlando
Starting the Year with a Bang, SportsCards Plus Auction exceeds $950,000 Mark
With over 240 lots of high-quality material, SportsCards Plus enjoyed a competitive night of bidding during their last sale. When the phone stopped ringing, the auction finished with $961,618 of total bids. Several strong prices were recorded, including a bid of $79,876 for the incredibly rare 1932 U.S. Caramel Fred Lindstrom graded PSA 3 VG. It was the first Lindstrom graded by PSA and, believe it or not, only the second example known to exist.
David Kohler, President of SportsCards Plus, was pleased with the overall performance of his latest offering. "Overall, we were very pleased with the results," said Kohler. "This was really the first major auction of the year and, with the stock market in the condition that it's in, this was a great sign for the hobby. I was starting to think that our prices would suffer from the decline in the economy but, with our success and a few more price records broken, it is apparent that the economy in the card business is great."
Below is a sampling of highlights from the sale:
| Card | PSA Grade | Price Realized | |
| 1) | 1932 U.S. Caramel Fred Lindstrom#16 | 3 | $79,876 |
| 2) | 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 | 8 | $35,599 |
| 3) | 1954 Dan Dee Mickey Mantle | 9 | $27,110 |
| 4) | 1919 T213 Type 3 Coupon (batting) | 9 | $20,967 |
| 5) | 1969 Topps Super Mickey Mantle #24 | 10 | $6,737 |
| 6) | 1997 Grand Slam Ventures Tiger Woods | 10 | $40,643 |
| 7) | 1939 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio #26 | 8 | $6,072 |
| 8) | 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams #92 | 8 | $8,452 |
| 9) | 1948 Leaf Ted Williams #76 | 8 | $7,519 |
| 10) | 1957 Topps Don Drysdale #18 | 9 | $9,370 |
| 11) | 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle (switch hitter) #318 | 9 | $6,737 |
| 12) | 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle All-Star #564 | 9 | $5,423 |
| 13) | 1961 Topps A.L. HR Leaders #44 | 9 | $1,988 |
| 14) | 1961 Topps Mickey Mantle #300 | 9 | $6,417 |
| 15) | 1961 Topps Mantle Slams #307 | 9 | $1,741 |
| 16) | 1962 Topps Yankees Team #251 | 9 | $2,035 |
| 17) | 1964 Topps A.L. Bombers #331 | 9 | $2,862 |
| 18) | 1964 Topps Stand-Up Mickey Mantle | 8 | $1,644 |
| 19) | 1903 E107 Breisch Williams Cy Young | 5 | $7,429 |
| 20) | 1934 Zee Nut w/coupon Joe DiMaggio | 5 | $16,019 |
| 21) | 1909-11 T206 Red Kleinow – Boston | 8 | $3,179 |
| 22) | 1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder (Mathewson) | 8 | $4,314 |
| 23) | 1915 Sporting News John McGraw #114 | 8 | $2,112 |
| 24) | 1948 Leaf Stan Musial #4 | 8 | $6,111 |
| 25) | 1948 Leaf Alvin Dark (SP) #51 | 8 | $2,623 |
| 26) | 1948 Leaf Gene Hermanski (correct spelling) #102 | 8 | $3,974 |
| 27) | 1955 Bowman Elston Howard #58 | 9 | $2,295 |
| 28) | 1957 Topps Dodgers Sluggers #400 | 8 | $2,304 |
| 29) | 1960 Topps Eddie Mathews All-Star #558 | 9 | $1,529 |
| 30) | 1964 Topps Stand-Up Hank Aaron | 8 | $1,345 |
| 31) | 1964 Topps Stand-Up Willie Mays | 8 | $1,189 |
| 32) | 1956 Topps George Blanda #11 | 10 | $3,084 |
| 33) | 1961 Topps Jim Brown #71 | 9 | $974 |
| 34) | 1963 Topps Jim Brown #14 | 9 | $4,631 |
| 35) | 1952-53 Parkhurst Gordie Howe #88 | 8 | $2,300 |
There were some tremendous prices and the overall interest was solid. Kohler was quick to point out some trends after the sale was over. "I just think that quality and rarity are always at the forefront," explained Kohler. "Bidders are not afraid to pay a premium for truly rare material, even if the card is so obscure that it's not even listed in the price guide. They know, as time goes on, that SMR will include all the significant sales and key issues as prices come in. They feel more secure about purchasing these types of rarities. There seemed to be increased interest in the 1964 Topps Stand Ups as well. We were able to offer the keys in high-grade and the bidders responded."
SportCards Plus is planning another high-quality auction for the summer and they have already begun acquiring quality cards and memorabilia for the sale. For more information, you can contact SportsCards Plus toll-free at 800-350-2273 if you are interested in consigning your prized sports items or would like to be added to their mailing list.
Vintage Jerseys Steal the Spotlight at Hunt Auction
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Ty Cobb and Lou Gehrig; these are two of the most recognizable names in sports history. We have all seen the recent surge in the "piece of jersey" card market over the past year or so but how would you like to own the entire jersey? Hunt Auctions offered a 1927 game-used Lou Gehrig jersey and a 1928 game-used and autographed Ty Cobb jersey in their latest sale. When the bidding stopped, the Gehrig jersey closed at $187,000 and the Cobb closed at $236,500. Both items clearly dominated the Hunt sale but there were also several interesting prices to report. Below is a sampling of highlights from the auction:
| Item | Price Realized | |
| 1) | 1928 Ty Cobb game-used/autographed home jersey | $236,500 |
| 2) | 1927 Lou Gehrig game-used road jersey | $187,000 |
| 3) | Lou Gehrig store model glove | $1,870 |
| 4) | 1915 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson PSA 6 EX-MT | $8,800 |
| 5) | 1916 Sporting News complete set (GD/VG-NM) | $22,000 |
| 6) | Lot of 7 PC760 Rose Co. Picture Postcards (1908-1909) | $4,290 |
| 7) | 1942 St. Louis Cardinals World Series press pin | $2,200 |
| 8) | Ty Cobb single signed baseball | $9,900 |
| 9) | Babe Ruth single signed baseball | $38,500 |
| 10) | Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig signed barnstorming photo | $22,000 |
| 11) | Lou Gehrig photo circa 1939 | $1,870 |
| 12) | Hank Aaron game-used bat circa 1965-1972 | $3,850 |
| 13) | Christy Mathewson (team) cabinet photo circa 1901 | $4,400 |
| 14) | Babe Ruth pitching photo circa 1915 | $3,300 |
| 15) | Charles Conlon photo collection of 66 | $50,600 |
| 16) | Johnny Unitas game-used jersey circa 1970-1972 | $22,000 |
| 17) | Satchel Paige Coca Cola advertising piece circa 1953 | $4,290 |
| 18) | 1980 Tug McGraw game-used glove | $4,455 |
| 19) | Group of Addie Joss Day panoramic photos (3) | $35,200 |
| 20) | Satchel Paige/Josh Gibson signed baseball | $36,300 |
As you can see, there were some outstanding prices realized in the auction. David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, offered some insight into the sale. "I was pleased overall and, going into the auction, there were a lot of people watching so the pressure was on," explained Hunt. "Initially, we were concerned about the high-ticket items but they all did fantastically well which was comforting to see, not only for us, but also the collecting public."
If you are a current client of Hunt Auctions, you may have noticed the increase in quality of the items and the catalogue. "Our bidder registration was up 30% which was an encouraging sign," said Hunt. "We are always looking for fresh items, that is something we try to offer our bidders each auction. At Hunt Auctions, we don't keep running the same material over and over again, we have a very loyal following so we are constantly trying to acquire quality items."
As far as trends were concerned, Hunt noticed a slight softening in one price area. "Items that fell between $2,000 and $7,000 were a little soft this time around," explained Hunt. "Ironically, that price range is usually where we excel. I guess that is just proof that some collectors were affected a bit by the economy. It certainly wasn't major by any means but I did notice a slight change."
Hunt Auctions will be holding another high-quality offering sometime over the next few months and SMR will keep you informed of the latest prices from their sales.
Top of the Pop Features Cream of the Crop at Goodwin Sale
The focus was clear and the bidders responded. If you have low population cards, no matter what year or sport, the collectors will come. After some very active bidding, the latest Goodwin and Co. auction closed with a total of $130,241. This is despite the fact that the auction only featured a grand total of 40 lots. Quality, not quantity, took center stage.
| Card | PSA Grade | Price Realized | |
| 1) | 1915 Cracker Jack Rube Marquard #43 | 9 | $6,950 |
| 2) | 1952 Bowman Phil Rizzuto #52 | 9 | $2,356 |
| 3) | 1957 Topps Dodgers Sluggers #400 | 9 | $23,558 |
| 4) | 1958 Topps Jim Brown #62 | 9 | $14,300 |
| 5) | 1958 Topps Eddie Mathews All-Star #480 | 9 | $4,718 |
| 6) | 1959 Topps Bill Skowron #90 | 9 | $483 |
| 7) | 1961 Topps Whitey Ford #160 | 9 | $1,597 |
| 8) | 1962 Topps Yankees Team #251 | 9 | $2,284 |
| 9) | 1962 Topps Harmon Killebrew #70 | 9 | $1,936 |
| 10) | 1963 Topps Dodgers Big Three #412 | 9 | $3,119 |
| 11) | 1964 Topps Stand-Up Roberto Clemente | 9 | $5,125 |
| 12) | 1964 Topps Stand-Up Juan Marichal | 9 | $1,610 |
| 13) | 1964 Topps Eddie Mathews #35 | 9 | $2,695 |
| 14) | 1963 Topps N.L. Batting Leaders #1 | 9 | $3,450 |
| 15) | 1964 Topps N.L. ERA Leaders #1 | 9 | $2,212 |
| 16) | 1965 Topps A.L. Home Run Leaders #3 | 9 | $1,646 |
| 17) | 1968 Topps N.L. Home Run Leaders #59 | $2,200 | |
| 18) | 1969 Topps Carl Yastrzemski All-Star #425 | 9 | $1,997 |
| 19) | 1970 Topps Willie Mays #600 | 9 | $3,933 |
| 20) | 1963 Topps Carl Yastrzemski #115 | 10 | $6,820 |
After the sale, Bill Goodwin, president of Goodwin and Co., saw some very encouraging signs. "I was very happy with the sale, it was nice to see so many new bidders participate in conjunction with our loyal customer base," explained Goodwin. "The combination made for an exciting auction."
Goodwin was also quick to point out some trends from the sale. "I continue to see surging interest in the league leader cards," said Goodwin. "When you can get more than one Hall of Famer on a card, it turns out to be a real bargain. With so many collectors assembling runs of players like Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Musial, etc., there are so many options. I also believe that we will be seeing a lot more collectors get involved with sets again. If that happens, it will only fuel the demand for these leader cards even more."
The 1964 Topps Stand-Ups also grabbed the attention of bidders; Goodwin noticed the interest. "The 1964 Topps Stand-Ups really offer the collector a great value," Goodwin explained. "The set is small in total number but full of Hall of Famers so the potential seems great. The only problem is that they are very tough to come by in high-grade so collectors are left with few buying opportunities."
Look for future auctions and direct sales from Goodwin in SMR. "I would like to get back to doing more direct sales through catalogues and at shows," said Goodwin. "Direct sales really help facilitate relationships between the dealer and the collector. I hope to make some innovative strides in this area."
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