PSA’s SMR Magazine –
Some of the hobby’s most sought-after treasures from the collection of the late Dr. Thomas Newman are ready to find their new homes.
The late Thomas Newman was a beloved doctor – a neurologist, not an obstetrician – and yet, he was always surround-ed by “babies.” While his babies were not the cute, cuddly, cradled, crying and crawling type, he loved and cared for them just as if they were. “No one enjoyed collecting more than Tom,” said his widow, Nancy Newman. “He jokingly called his cards his ‘paper babies,’ and spent almost every day attending to his collection in one way or another. It gave him such pleasure.” Known to those who loved him as “Tommy,” and to those in the card collecting hobby as one of its most significant and passionate collectors, Dr. Newman lost his life to COVID-19 this past January. Leaving behind his beloved wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, dedicated staff and cherished dog, Haley, Dr. Newman also left one of the most historic sports card collections ever amassed. With an estimated value of more than $20 million dollars, his extensive collection, assembled over the past four decades, includes some of the hobbies most sought-after, one-of-a-kind cards and sports memorabilia dating back to the 1880s.The collection of Dr. Newman’s “paper babies,” which has been authenticated and graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a division of Collectors Universe, Inc., will soon be offered at auction by the Tustin, California-based Memory Lane Inc., one of the nation’s leading dealers of sports cards and memorabilia. Among those who are excited over this monumental offering be-coming available is Joe Orlando, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Collectors Universe, Inc.“
The Thomas Newman col-lection exhibits the kind of depth and level of quality that are rarely achieved,” said Orlando. “During his lifetime, Dr. Newman was a custodian of some of the most historically important cards, the iconic pillars of our hobby. Collectors now will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to add a piece of his legacy to their collections.” Memory Lane Inc. President J.P. Cohen, who knew Dr. Newman well as both a client and a friend, said that his firm is extremely proud and excited to be offering this out-standing collection that includes thousands of vintage and modern baseball, football and hockey cards.“ Between the cards and other sports memorabilia from Dr. New-man’s estate, this public auction, which will take place in June, will be a milestone for serious card col-lectors,” added Cohen. “It is one of the most prestigious, high-grade vintage collections ever assembled, which makes its offering something. that will be talked about within the industry and the hobby for years to come.” As Cohen and his staff ready for this monumental auction, Sports Market Report recently had the opportunity to speak with him about the collection and its beloved collector.
Sports Market Report (SMR): It seems that everyone who knew Dr. Newman thought very highly of him. As someone who considered him a friend, can you share some of your personal memories?
J.P. Cohen (JPC): First, let me say that over the years I have had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Tom at so many hobby-related and private events, at the National, and as a guest in his homes in Florida and Lake Las Vegas. I can truly state that no collector could have possibly boasted a more unquenchable thirst for the cardboard treasures he so aggressively sought and called his “paper babies.” As for his background, Tom moved with his family from Cleveland to Tampa in 1954, because that’s where his family’s business – the J.C. Newman Cigar Company – has been since it was established in 1895. What I have learned about him is that he graduated from one of the first classes at Berkeley Preparatory School, received his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University, and then got his medical degree from Vanderbilt Medical School. He did post graduate studies in neurology at the University of Miami and then began his practice in Houston, Texas. He returned to Tampa in 1984, where he worked as a neurologist up until the time of his death. From a personal standpoint, he was, obviously, an avid sports fan. He was a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, and then, when he moved to Tampa, became a fan of the Buccaneers. I’ve been told that along with his work he loved music and played piano. He also played trombone in the community band. He also liked playing golf with his beloved wife Nancy, spending time with his family and friends, his second home in Vegas, his 4-legged companion-dog Haley and of course, collecting cards and sports memorabilia
SMR: Did his passion for collecting cards and other memorabilia go back to when he was a kid?
JPC: That I don’t know, al-though my guess is that it did. What I do know is who he got the collecting bug from his father, Millard Newman, who was a renowned enthusiast and collector of pre-World War I Rolls-Royce motor cars. He was a legend in the Rolls-Royce world with a collection of cars that he put together back in the 1950s and ‘60s. He had some of the rarest cars in existence, including first editions. Tom followed in his father’s collecting footsteps for some four decades.
SMR: It was just with cards instead of cars.
JPC: Yes, although I guess you could say he collected the Rolls-Royce of cards [laughs]. He was as passionate about collecting them as anyone I have ever known. He really loved his cards, and also his great collection of World Series programs. He amassed one of the best collections of World Series programs in existence – from 1903 to present. As for his cards, they ranged from the late 1800s to present, or at least the late 1990s, with a sprinkling of modern key cards. He had a 1933 Goudey Sports Kings set and a 1952 Topps set. He just loved his cards and the act of collecting. He was a collector in the truest and most pure sense. He could have bought a card for $500, and if I called him a week later and told him I had someone who would pay him five grand for that same card, he wouldn’t even consider selling it. For him, money never had anything to do with it at all.
SMR: Can you give us some specifics as to what you will be offering from Dr. Newman’s card and sports memorabilia collection
JPC: Well, as I have said, this will be an offering that will make his-tory, especially when you consider what we are calling “The Magnificent Seven.” Those seven are the marquee cards – some of the most rare and desirable cards in the hob-by. The top card is a yellow 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card. It is the finest known example of this card in existence – the only one to ever be graded PSA [MINT] 9. We are projecting that this card will bring in a price north of $5 million dollars. I re-ally believe there’s a chance it could surpass the all-time record price for a sports card, which was the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle that sold for $5.2 million dollars.
SMR: So, which cards round out “The Magnificent Seven”?
JPC: We will have a 1952 Topps Mantle in PSA [NM-MT] 8, a 1916 Babe Ruth Sporting News rookie in PSA [EX-MT] 6, another 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card – the green version – in PSA 9, Lou Gehrig’s 1925 Exhibits rookie card in PSA [EX] 5, the 1951 Bowman Mantle in PSA 8, and George Mikan’s 1948 Bowman rookie card in PSA 9.To give you an idea of why this will be such a historic offering, even if you take those seven extremely rare cards out of the mix, there are so many more cards that are projected to bring in over five or six figures – some of the finest known examples of Hall of Fame players including Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Ted Williams and Cy Young.
SMR: You mentioned you will be offering the Mikan rookie card. Are there any other non-baseball cards in this collection?
JPC: Tom collected all sports – everything. The majority of the collection is baseball, but he had a great 1948 Bowman Basketball set and all the main vintage sets from every major sport. He had rookie cards in PSA 8 for Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, Lew Alcindor – big star cards.
SMR: It sounds like these cards are all in high grades.
JPC: Almost all of his star cards are either PSA 8 or PSA 9. He collected mid- to high-grade cards. He wasn’t like some collectors, who have to have a PSA 8 or better in everything. Tom could be content with a PSA 5 or PSA 6 in commons. But when it came to the star cards and Hall of Famers, he always strived to get the highest grades he could find.
SMR: When it comes to the sets that Dr. Newman compiled, will you be offering them as complete sets or breaking them up?
JPC: Some will be broken up, but the majority of the sets from the 1950s and ‘60s will be kept intact. That said, let me give you an example of what we will be doing. When it comes to something like the 1952 Topps set, we will be offering the full set with the exception of the Mantle card. We plan on making the Mantle card one lot and then offering the rest of the set as a lot.
SMR: Tell us more about the World Series programs he collected. Will they be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime offering?
JPC: Yes. We will, for the most part, offer them individually. We will do some in small lots, like some of the ones from the 1970s, ‘80s or ‘90s. But, as for the vintage ones, especially the pre-war programs, each one is pretty impressive, so we will be offering them as individual lots. As I’m sure most SMR readers know, vintage World Series programs are rare and highly desirable. Some of them – the ones from the early 1900s – can go for well into the five-figure range.
SMR: What are some of the marquee pieces from that collection?
JPC: There are so many. There is the 1903 program from the first World Series, when the Boston Americans played the Pittsburgh Pirates. There is also the program from the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. This was, of course, the series that is associated with the Black Sox Scandal in which several Chicago players conspired with gamblers to throw the series. The other program that will have incredibly high interest will be the one from the 1932 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees. That one is noteworthy because it was the series in which Babe Ruth made the “called shot” home run. It was also his last World Series appearance
SMR: The offering of this collection to the public will not only be a milestone event for collectors, it will also be a tribute to someone who cared so deeply about the hobby of sports collecting.
JPC: Absolutely. Tom’s legacy, along with the love he had for his wife Nancy, his family and his medical practice, was his collection. For anyone who loves and collects sports cards, there will always be the highest of admiration and respect for someone who possesses the kind of passion Tom had to put a magnificent collection like this together. Yes, he obviously had the financial resources to do what the majority of collectors will never be able to do, but the money was never what it was about for him. He appreciated each one of his cards as if they were a piece of fine art and a significant piece of history.
He wasn’t just passionate about cards and his collection; he was equally passionate about the hobby and the strength that PSA brought to it. He was always so appreciative of anyone who worked with him – another collector or a dealer. He was one of the most humble people I ever knew, and he genuinely saw himself as the temporary custodian of the cards he owned and so greatly treasured. His feeling was that, when he was gone, the collection should be made available and passed on to other likeminded col- lectors who would love his “paper babies” the way he did.
SMR: Even for those who never had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Newman, if they are among the lucky bidders who are able to take custody of his “paper babies,” they will have something that has even greater significance because they came from this amazing collection.
JPC: No doubt about it. He truly was one of the most special people I have ever encountered in the hobby. To give you an example of that, let me tell you a story. After he died and the family assigned us to represent the sale, I went down to Tampa to pick up his collection. I went to his office, where he kept a portion of his collection, and as I was packing up the last of his cards – which took a full day – his staff was in tears. He had a staff of around 15 people and I’m sure they didn’t know the difference between a $10 dollar card and a million dollar card. All they knew was that he collected them and loved them.
They all had stories to share with me about him and it was so touching to hear their memories. I remember someone told me when he would go into the room where he kept his cards, he would say he was going to “visit his paper babies.” I also re-call, as I took the last box out and was loading everything up, one of his nurses came out. She just stood looking over all the boxes, and then she said a prayer. That was very touching. His family, his staff, and the hobby really lost a great guy when he passed away – a Gem Mint 10 of a guy.
