ONLINE — One of only three known 1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb #30 PSA Mint 9 trading cards sold at $432,000, outdistancing its estimate by more than $100,000, during Heritage Auctions’ June 29 premium sports card catalog auction. The internet-only auction saw 752 lots realize $4.1 million as collectors picked up some of the highest graded examples of iconic trading cards.
Sporting exceptional grades, the 1954 Topps Hank Aaron #128 PSA Mint 9, realized $192,000, the 1957 Topps John Unitas #138 PSA NM-MT+ 8.5, sold for $40,800 and a 1967 Topps Rod Carew – A.L. Rookie Stars #569 PSA Mint 9, hammered for $13,200, once again affirming the value of quality and scarcity to collectors.
Condition did not come into play, however, when the 1916 Famous & Barr Co. Babe Ruth #151 SGC 10 Poor 1 sold for $93,332, outdistancing its estimate by over $30,000.
Not since the fabled “Tall Boys” of the 1969-70 Topps issue has a basketball issue boasted such a remarkable assembly of rookie talent as the 1986 Fleer basketball wax box with 36 unopened packs. The original Fleer retail box realized $66,000 on the strength of the inclusion of a #57 Michael Jordan rookie card, as well as esteemed stars and Hall of Famers who appear in this set (many their rookie debut) including Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isaiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — quite a team. All the prices include the buyer’s premium. A full review of the auction will appear in a future issue. For more information, www.ha.com or 877-437-4824.
