Auction Action
Joe Orlando
- January 7, 2003
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PSA Rarities and Elusive Memorabilia Drive
MastroNet Auction to Nearly $8,000,000
After some fierce, late-night bidding in the two-day December MastroNet sale, the auction closed with a stunning total of $7,968,674, making this one of the largest sports auctions in history. In November of 2001, MastroNet held a sale that nearly reached $9.5 million -- the current record for a multi-consignment sports auction. Leading the way were a slew of high-grade PSA graded cards and sets in addition to numerous rare pieces of sports memorabilia.
The Wilson Franks card lots were nothing short of amazing with the only PSA Mint 9 Ted Williams selling for nearly $110,000! There were also a few complete PSA graded sets that sold for big dollars, including a 1952 Topps set that sold for over $275,000 and a 1933 Goudey Sport Kings set that sold for over $110,000. This reiterates the fact that some collectors will pay a premium to avoid the struggle in assembling high-grade sets.
The Shoeless Joe Jackson Sidewritten/Vault Marked bat sold for well in excess of $200,000, making it one of the most valuable pieces of lumber in the hobby. Also, check out the prices for some of the autographed baseballs. There's no question that collectors will pay for rarity and/or quality. Several records were broken in the monstrous sale.
Here's a look at some of the highlights (Please note that all of the autographed items were authenticated by PSA/DNA):
| | Item | Price Realized |
| 1) | PSA NM-MT 8 1952 Topps Set | $276,771 |
| 2) | Jesse Burkett Single Signed Ball | $25,774 |
| 3) | Hughie Jennings Single Signed Ball | $5,299 |
| 4) | Grover Cleveland Alexander Single Signed Ball | $8,536 |
| 5) | Ed Barrow Single Signed Ball | $12,368 |
| 6) | Satchel Paige Negro League Single Signed Ball | $5,536 |
| 7) | Jimmie Foxx Single Signed Ball | $20,363 |
| 8) | 1960's Johnny Unitas Signed Game-Used Helmet | $41,515 |
| 9) | PSA Graded (mostly 8's) 1957 Topps Basketball Complete Set | $35,186 |
| 10) | 1967-68 Wilt Chamberlain Game-Used Jersey | $21,846 |
| 11) | 1972-74 Pete Maravich Game-Used Jersey | $21,846 |
| 12) | NBA 50 Greatest Lithograph Signed | $26,435 |
| 13) | Ed Cicotte's 1919 Chicago White Sox Contract | $35,186 |
| 14) | 383-Card Old Judge Collection | $105,422 |
| 15) | 1927 World Series Program | $6,345 |
| 16) | 1912 Napoleon Lajoie Original Photo | $12,022 |
| 17) | Lou Gehrig Handwritten Letter | $18,055 |
| 18) | Alfonso Soriano Game-Used Rookie Bat | $2,304 |
| 19) | 1929 Rogers Hornsby Game-Used Bat | $18,055 |
| 20) | 1930 Leo Durocher Game-Used/Sidewritten Bat | $8,209 |
| 21) | 1926-30 Tony Lazzeri Game-Used Bat | $10,330 |
| 22) | 1933-34 Freddy Lindstrom Game-Used Bat | $6,167 |
| 23) | 1923-25 Joe Sewell Game-Used Bat | $5,244 |
| 24) | 1950's Ted Williams Game-Used/Signed Bat | $19,363 |
| 25) | 1950's Roy Campanella Game-Used Bat | $14,547 |
| 26) | 1961-64 Willie Mays Game-Used Bat | $18,725 |
| 27) | 1965 Eddie Mathews Game-Used/Signed HR Bat | $17,603 |
| 28) | 1961-64 Eddie Mathews Game-Used/Signed Bat | $4,281 |
| 29) | 1969-72 Pete Rose Game-Used/Signed Bat | $3,780 |
| 30) | 1976 Thurman Munson Game-Used Bat | $2,688 |
| 31) | 1966 Mickey Mantle Game-Used Bat | $19,860 |
| 32) | 1999-2001 Cal Ripken Game-Used/Signed Bat | $3,780 |
| 33) | 1930's Lou Gehrig Game-Used Cap | $32,816 |
| 34) | 1971 Ron Santo Game-Used/Signed Jersey | $8,733 |
| 35) | 1910 Reach Catchers Mask Tin Sign | $21,300 |
| 36) | Joe Jackson Decal Bat - High-Grade | $7,760 |
| 37) | 1921 H&B Bat Display Piece w/Ruth | $74,917 |
| 38) | Nolan Ryan's Game-Used/Signed 4,000 Strikeout Jersey | $19,860 |
| 39) | 1999 New York Yankees World Series Ring | $32,796 |
| 40) | 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth Patent Card PSA Authenticated | $14,547 |
| 41) | PSA EX 5 1961 Willie Mays Dice Game Card | $8,536 |
| 42) | Joe Kelley Single Signed Ball | $20,137 |
| 43) | Amos Rusie Single Signed Ball | $45,666 |
| 44) | Cap Anson Single Signed Ball | $70,365 |
| 45) | Frank Chance Single Signed Ball | $29,486 |
| 46) | Mel Ott Single Signed Ball | $26,435 |
| 47) | PSA NM-MT 8 1887 N28 John Ward | $6,980 |
| 48) | PSA NM 7 T205 Christy Mathewson | $7,878 |
| 49) | T3 Turkey Red Ty Cobb (NM-MT) | $64,099 |
| 50) | PSA NM-MT 8 1910 E286 Ju Ju Drum Christy Mathewson | $6,785 |
| 51) | PSA NM 7 1912 Plow's Candy Ty Cobb | $29,078 |
| 52) | PSA Graded (mostly 8's) 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Complete Set | $110,694 |
| 53) | PSA NM-MT 8 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie | $52,854 |
| 54) | PSA NM-MT 8 1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig #37 | $17,603 |
| 55) | PSA Mint 9 1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams | $109,638 |
| 56) | PSA Mint 9 1954 Wilson Franks Bob Feller | $17,603 |
| 57) | PSA Mint 9 1954 Wilson Franks Gil Hodges | $30,162 |
| 58) | PSA Gem Mint 10 1963 Topps Mickey Mantle | $24,031 |
| 59) | PSA NM-MT 8 1951 Topps Ringside Bob Murphy #49 | $12,224 |
| 60) | Ali Handwritten Letter (18 pages) | $26,435 |
| 61) | 1955 Team Signed Brooklyn Dodger Ball | $21,300 |
| 62) | 2001 Barry Bonds Game-Used/Signed HR Bat | $19,860 |
| 63) | Emmitt Smith Game-Used Ensemble From Record Game | $62,338 |
| 64) | Emmitt Smith First Rushing Touchdown Football | $30,162 |
| 65) | Joe Jackson Game-Used/Sidewritten Vaulted Marked Bat (PSA) | $206,529 |
$132,105 for Joe Tinker Uniform Highlights Lelands.Com Sports Auction;
Bobby Orr "Flying Puck" Goes for $43,670
2-Day Auction a Huge $4.5 Million Success
In this, the 100th anniversary of the debut of famed "Tinker-to-Evers-to Chance" poem, a uniform worn by Cubs shortstop Joe Tinker went for $132,105 in the final day of a 2-day, online auction conducted by Lelands.com.
The bid, (which includes a 15% buyer's commission), helped bring the 2-day total to a spectacular $4.5 million, making this one of the highest-grossing auctions in Lelands' 15-year history.
While the Tinker uniform was the highest single item, a collection of 23 Team Canada hockey jerseys, worn in the first game of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, went for $109,177.
Perhaps the most watched item in the auction -- the puck from the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, which Bobby Orr sent into the net for victory (the famed photo shows him flying through the air) -- went for $43,670.
A very rare baseball, signed by all four Beatles at DC Stadium in 1966, brought $43,594.
Other highlights from day two included:
- Pee Wee Reese's personal Hall of Fame plaque - $23,402
- A 1937 Ted Williams home run ball from San Diego - $16,583
- Photo signed by both Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio - $18,045
- A letter from Commissioner Ford Frick explaining the Maris "asterisk" - $5,148
- Game used, signed glove from Pete Rose - $10,548
- Game used, signed Mickey Mantle bat - $24,650
- Earl Whitehill's 1934 Japanese Tour album with autographs - $24,650
- Oakland A's 1974 World Series trophy (full size) - $20,336
- 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie card, graded EX-MT 6 - $18,975
- Uncut sheet of 1887 Old Judge tobacco cards - $25,530
- 1964 Topps High Number Baseball Vending Box - $9,361
- 1954 Bowman Baseball Five-Cent Wax Pack - $1,804
- 1979/80 Topps Hockey Wax Box - $2,624
- 1952 Topps collection of 247 cards (no Mantle or Mays) - $12,765
- 1960/61 Topps Hockey Set with 51/66 PSA Graded - $4,255
- 1955 Topps All American Set (NRMT to NM-MT) - $5,423
- 1966 Topps Frankenstein Stickers Original Artwork (33) - $15,306
- Ali robe worn in Zaire fight vs. Foreman, - $16,404
- Michael Jordan game worn uniform from 1996-97 - $20,436
- Terry Kinard 1986 Giants Super Bowl ring - $16,297
- Howie Morenz skates from his final, and deadly, NHL game - $20,336
Joe Orlando has been an advanced collector of sportscards and memorabilia for over 20 years. Orlando attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California where he studied communications and was the starting catcher for the baseball team. After a brief stint in the minor leagues, Orlando obtained a Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School in Southern California in the spring of 1999. During the last nine years, Orlando has authored several collecting guides and dozens of articles for Collectors Universe, Inc. Orlando has also authored two books for Collectors Universe. Orlando's first book, The Top 200 Sportscards in the Hobby, was released in the summer of 2002. His second book, Collecting Sports Legends, was released in the summer of 2008. Orlando has appeared on several radio and television programs as a hobby expert including ESPN's award-winning program Outside the Lines and HBO's Real Sports, as the featured guest. Currently, Orlando is the President of PSA and PSA/DNA, the largest trading card and sports memorabilia authentication services in the hobby. He is also Editor of the company's nationally distributed Sports Market Report, which under Orlando's direction has developed into a leading resource in the market.
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