Hold onto your baseball caps, as the sports memorabilia world is abuzz with the news of the recent record-breaking sale of a 1951 Bowman Willie Mays rookie card. This iconic piece fetched an eye-watering $390,935 at Robert Edward Auctions’ Summer Catalog Auction, leaving collectors and enthusiasts stunned.
The highest-graded specimen of its kind to hit the auction block in over 15 years, the Mays rookie card attracted intense competition among eleven bidders, all vying to secure this rare gem for their collections. With no PSA 10 Mays rookie cards in existence and only eight in a PSA 9 grade, the scarcity of this card fueled the excitement and drove the bidding war to new heights.
For perspective, a PSA 8 copy of the same Mays card was sold for $207,400 just last week at Goldin Auctions, underscoring the skyrocketing value and demand for Mays’ rookie cards in today’s market – they are unquestionably hotter than a scorching summer day at the ballpark!
The seller’s plan for the proceeds is equally heartening, with the funds earmarked for a noble cause – the establishment of a college scholarship endowment. Thus, not only has this card made waves in the world of sports memorabilia, but it is also making a meaningful impact on shaping the future of education. Truly a win-win situation!
At the Summer Catalog Auction, the excitement didn’t stop at the Mays rookie card sale. The event boasted an impressive total haul of over $13.3 million, gathered from a staggering 82,000 bids across nearly 3,200 lots. Thirteen items crossed the six-figure mark, with notable sales including a 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie PSA 4.5 card that set a record at $162,000 – the highest ever for that grade.
Other standout transactions featured an autographed 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella rookie (PSA 3) with a PSA 9 signature grade, fetching $132,000, and a 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card (PSA 7 with a 7 autograph rating) netting $120,000.
Adding to the excitement was a 1936-1937 Dizzy Dean St. Louis Cardinals game-used road jersey that scored a cool $114,000, setting a new record for Dizzy Dean memorabilia sales.
An array of other impressive sales further highlighted the auction’s success:
– 1933 R338 Sport Kings #2 Babe Ruth PSA NM-MT 8 – $120,000
– 1915 Boston Red Sox Real-Photo Team Postcard with Babe Ruth Rookie – $114,000
– 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10 – $111,000
– 1909-1911 T206 White Border Cy Young Glove Shows PSA EX+ 5.5 (Broad Leaf 460 Back) – $111,000
– 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie PSA MINT 9 – $105,000
– 1914 E145 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson SGC GOOD+ 2.5 – $102,000 (record for SGC grade)
– 1933 V353 World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey #80 Babe Ruth PSA NM 7 – $96,000 (record for the card)
– 1984-1985 Star Company Basketball #101 Michael Jordan Rookie BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 – $52,800 (record for Beckett grade)
Brian Dwyer, President of REA, summed up the auction’s success, stating, “This auction was a blast from start to finish, with new record prices being set left and right. We’re incredibly grateful to the consignors who trusted us with these amazing items and to the bidders who made this another record-breaking auction for us.”
If you missed out on the excitement of this event, fear not! Keep your calendars marked for REA’s next big auction, the September Encore Auction, scheduled to run from September 12-22. The thrills and high-stakes bidding are far from over, so be ready for more historic moments in the world of sports memorabilia!
