January 12, 2025
Some of the most popular names in collecting changed hands in Memory Lane’s Winter Rarities Auction, with the company’s first event of the new year topping $7.1 million in sales.
A trio of 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards, all graded NM-MT 8 by PSA netted nearly $700,000, led by #149 (red background) that soared to a whopping $316,736.
The top selling item in the auction not named Ruth was a 1915 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson graded PSA 7 that sold for $173, 794, a record for the grade. The card was part of a Cracker Jack set break that resulted in over $850,000 in sales.
Three 1952 Topps favorites—all in PSA 8 holders– each crossed the six-figure mark with the Eddie Mathews high number setting the pace at $123,484, followed by Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays.
Ruth cards proved popular with bidders again. A rare circa 1920 advertising card promoting a tour featuring Ruth and Carl Mays graded SGC 3 caused a bidding war that ended with a final price of $95,860.
A PSA 5 copy of Ruth’s 1921 E253 Oxford Confectionery card found a new home at $52,102 while a 1932 U.S. Caramel graded PSA 6.5 went for $48,508. A Lou Gehrig graded PSA 7 from the same set went for $30,463.
The auction offered a nice run of Bazooka baseball cards, including a rare high-grade copy of the 1959 Mickey Mantle (PSA 6) that netted $33,586. A complete box, with Mantle on the back graded PSA 1 went for $18,575, while four PSA 10 Bazooka Mantles (1961, 1964, 1965 and 1966) combined to corral nearly $50,000.
Other Mantle cards sold in the auction included:
Additional Post-War cards that brought top prices included a 1957 Topps Willie Mays PSA 9 ($58,961) and a PSA 10 ’57 Topps Whitey Ford ($56,153).
Baseball wasn’t the only sport where high-grade cards attracted a crowd. The lone 1965-66 Topps Phil Esposito rookie card graded PSA 10 rocketed to $72,455.
Collectors also chased some high-grade football cards. Among the notable record setters:
The auction included some unique memorabilia, including a rare 1910s Ty Cobb Tobacco tin that ended at $30,463, a Mantle single-signed American League Baseball with a rare “No. 6” inscription that referenced his first uniform number graded PSA/DNA 10 ($20,934), a handwritten letter from his 1951 rookie season to his future wife ($20,934) and a rare high-grade c. 1910-15 Joe Jackson 14″ H&B Louisville Slugger decal bat ($16,121).
Complete results can be found on the Memory Lane Website.
