COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 44, NO. 29 FRIDAY JULY 19, 2013
REA Holds Record-Setting $ 10 Million Baseball Auction The high-end baseball card Card was hammered down for a and memorabilia market was on record-setting $272,550, rewriting fire at Robert Edward Auction’s the price guides (REA) record-setting May 18 for one of card auction in Watchung, N.J. There c o l l e c t i n g ’s were 172 lots that sold for most iconic $10,000 or more. The total sales cards. A of $10,177,000 made this the largest and most successful sale that the firm has ever had. One of only ten known examples of the ultra-rare 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card sold for a record price of $450,300. This was nearly triple the previous auction record for 1963 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers Game-Used Road Jersey - MVP and Cy Young Award-Winning Season (res. $25,000; est. $50,000+) sold for a record $201,450.
this card, a 2009 REA sale at $152,750. An example of the famous T206 Honus Wagner in poor condition sold for $402,900, setting a new world record price at auction for the most famous baseball card in the world in this grade. A Sandy Koufax jersey dating from 1963, purchased by the consignor for $30,000 in the 1990s, set a new world record for any Koufax jersey ever sold at auction, realizing $201,450. The highest grade Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig dualsigned baseball (graded 8.5 by PSA), which last sold in 2005 for $98,000 (which since 2005 has
1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie Card (res. $100,000; est. $200,000+) sold for an astounding $450,300.
been the record price for any Ruth-Gehrig autographed ball ever), was hammered down for $343,650, more than tripling the previous auction record for this classic. A Lou Gehrig singlesigned ball with exceptional provenance sold for an extraordinary record $142,200, more than doubling the previous world record price at auction for a Lou Gehrig single-signed ball. An extremely high-grade 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Rookie
That’s the standard we strive for and achieve at REA when it comes to paying consignors. Perfection. Consignors really appreciate getting paid quickly and they really appreciate getting paid 100 cents on the dollar.” REA Statistics: The stunning prices on all 19th- and early 20thcentury baseball cards and memorabilia totaled $10,177,000, a new record for REA and the highest-grossing single-day sports auction of all time. The 1,826 lots, offered on behalf of 333 different consignors, were won by an incredible 692 different bidders, illustrating the power of the marketing and auction process and the breadth of bidder interest. Successful bidders included some of the nation’s most prestigious museums, universities, and corporate institutional collections, as well as representatives from numerous Major League teams. An incredible 25,426 bids were placed. “All areas of the auction received a tremendous response and very strong prices. Nineteenth-century baseball items were unbelievable, as always, as were all early baseball cards, advertising and display pieces, graded cards, Babe Ruth items, autographs, memorabilia, non-sport cards and artwork,” stated Lifson. Thousands of bidders from all over the world participated. The average lot realized more than double the high-end estimate. An incredible 99.78 percent of the lots sold. Babe Ruth: The Sultan of Swat once again proved that he’s the biggest name in baseball with numerous Babe Ruth items selling for world record prices throughout the auction. In addition to the recordsetting prices for the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie Card ($450,300) and the extraordinary Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dual-signed baseball ($343,650), a 1916 M101-4 Ware’s Basement Sporting Goods Babe Ruth Rookie Card graded PSA 3 drew tremendous interest from collectors both because it was a great-looking card and because of its rare advertising
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner - PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 (res. $50,000; “The All Star Café Wagner” (res. est. $100,000+) sold for a record$100,000; est. $300,000+) sold for a setting $272,550. record $402,900.
back. With a reserve of $10,000 and an estimate of $20,000+, it was hammered down at $130,350, far exceeding all expectations and by far establishing a new record for the card in this grade. “The price may seem shockingly high for the grade, and it is, but the fact is this card looked a lot better than suggested by the card’s technical grade,” notes REA vintage card expert Dean Faragi. “All of the hobby’s most advanced collectors were drawn to this Ruth rookie, all thinking on their own that it
$26,662 auction result, a record auction price not just for this postcard, but also for any baseball postcard ever sold at auction. All Babe Ruth items turned in stellar results. An exceptional 1946 single-signed baseball realized $21,330 against a pre-auction estimate of $5,000+. A 1929 R316 Kashin Publications Babe Ruth boldly signed by Ruth (reserve $2,000, estimate $5,000+) pulled in $16,590, doubling the sale price of the last signed R316 Ruth offered as lot 994 in REA’s May 2010 auction. A 1917 E135 Collins-McCarthy #147 Babe Ruth PSA 4.5, purchased at public auction just within the past year at another
1910 T210 Old Mill Joe Jackson SGC 30 sold for $118,500. The only known Uncut Boston Garter Advertising Panel realized $177,750. REA president Robert Lifson comments, “These results speak for themselves: about the quality of the material offered, about the appreciation of the collecting world for Extraordinary Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Signed how REA presents items and conBaseball - PSA/DNA NM-MT+ 8.5 (res. $25,000; ducts auctions, about the wellest. $50,000+) sold for an astounding record $343,650. deserved trust collectors have in REA, and about the strength of the market.” deserved a big auction for $50,788, was immediCollectors, dealers, and market premium. That ately consigned to REA and sold watchers look to REA’s annual says something right for a record-setting $65,175. A event as the key barometer of the there. This was a case of rarely seen 1921 Frederick Foto health of the market and the most Babe Ruth graded VG+, which the technical grade not telling the important auction event of the year. highlighted a newly-discovered whole story and this fact played a According to Lifson, “The market West Coast collection of primaribig role in the impressive price,” was extremely strong across the ly PCL material, realized continued Faragi. Another early board. The auction results were $44,437, more than doubling the Babe Ruth card, the classic 1915 staggering and exceeded our highprevious highest public auction Boston Red Sox Real-Photo Team est expectations. Most important, price for this card in any grade. Postcard (reserve $5,000, estimate they exceeded our consignors’ T206 Honus Wagner: The $10,000+), was consigned by a expectations. The great prices are auction featured one of the most longtime postcard collector who the result of many factors includhad purchased it decades ago for interesting T206 Honus Wagner ing, of course, being given the very five dollars. He was shocked by the cards in existence: “The All Star best material in the world to offer, Café Wagner”. This card’s rich taking great care in cataloging all history reads like a script straight material, having the largest circulaout of a Hollywood movie: The tion, extensive research and card was once owned by actor authentication, the well-deserved Charlie Sheen. In the 1990s he confidence of buyers, and an loaned it for display to the All emphasis on the integrity of the Star Café in New York City, auction process. All together, it’s a where it was stolen by employees very powerful combination. The who replaced it in the display bidders appreciate what we do. with a color photocopy. When the And this naturally attracts consignruse was finally discovered, the ments. It was also the smoothest FBI was called in, solved the running auction in all respects, case, and recovered the stolen including collecting the money. card. “While the condition was That’s another extremely strong technically very modest, most area for REA. All consignors were T206 Wagners are in the same paid in full, 100 cents on the dollar low grade, and this card stacks up with no adjustments due to non- 1915 Boston Red Sox Real-Photo Team Postcard with Babe Ruth (res. very well against most or all paying bidders, and in record time. $5,000; est. $10,000+) sold for a record $26,662. (Continued on page 2)