COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 43, NO. 29 FRIDAY JULY 20, 2012
Robert Edward’s $9.56 Million Baseball Auction Shatters Records
Dick Perez The Immortals Original Artwork Collection Realized $158,908.
T
206 Wagner Sells For All consignors were paid in full, $651,750; Babe Ruth 100 cents on the dollar with no Rookie Card $142,200; adjustments due to nonpaying bidFamous T206 Doyle hammered ders, and in record time. “That’s down at $414,750; Countless the standard we strive for and Baseball Card Auction Records achieve at REA when it comes to paying consignors. Perfection. Shattered At REA!!! The strength of the high-end Consignors really appreciate getbaseball card and memorabilia market was impossible to miss at Robert Edward’s record-setting May 12 auction. An astounding 177 lots sold for $10,000 or more. Collectors, dealers, and market watchers look to REA’s annual event as the key barometer of the health of the market and the most important auction event of the year. According to REA president Robert Lifson, “The market was extremely strong across the board. The auction results exceeded our expectations and, most important, exceeded our consignors’ expectations. The great prices are the result of many factors including, of course, being given the very best material in the world to offer, care in cataloguing, the biggest circulation, extensive research and authentication, the well-deserved confidence 1916 Sporting News Babe Ruth Rookie Card of buyers, and an emphasis PSA EX-MT 6 (reserve $10,000; estimate on the integrity of the auc- $50,000 plus) sold for an astounding tion process. It’s a powerful $142,200, a new record for the grade. combination.” By any measure, this was one of the most suc- ting paid 100 cents on the dollar.” REA Statistics cessful auctions in the history of Record prices were set on collecting. “It was also the smoothest running auction in all countless items, both in cards and respects, including collecting the memorabilia, and spanning all money. As always at Robert eras. The stunning prices on all Edward Auctions, there were no nineteenth- and early twentiethdelays in collecting money and no century baseball cards and memodelays getting it in the hands of rabilia totaled a staggering $9.56 consignors. That’s another million. The 1631 lots, offered on extremely strong area for REA.” behalf of 317 different consignors,
were won by an incredible 665 different bidders, illustrating the power of the marketing and auction process, and the breadth of bidder interest. A staggering 23,781 bids were placed. 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. “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.” T206 Honus Wagner (reserve The rare 1909 T206 “Slow Joe” Doyle Thousands of bidders from 1909 $100,000; estimate $300,000 plus), sold (reserve $100,000) sold for a record all over the world participat- for an incredible $651,750. $451,750. ed. The average lot sold for The rare T206 “Slow Joe” $5,861 and on average realized serious interested bidders!” The more than double the high-end card was consigned to the 2012 Doyle card was from the Joe estimate. An incredible 99.51 per- auction directly from the buyer at Pelaez Collection. Joe Pelaez the 1997 REA sale. “The seller (1931-2010) purchased the card at cent of the lots sold. was naturally auction from collecting legend T206 Wagner thrilled. But we Lew Lipset way back in 1990 for and Doyle think the buyer the then incredible sum of The T206 did particularly $19,000. At the time it was the Honus Wagner well too. This is a second highest price ever paid for and the legendary great Wagner. a baseball card at auction, trailing T206 “Slow Joe” The card not only only the T206 Wagner. The card Doyle, selling for looks great, it has was consigned to the REA sale $651,750 and a special and directly by the Pelaez family. “The $414,750, respecunique story. The last rare Doyle we auctioned was tively, set the fact that it has a from the estate of Charlie Conlon tone. The 1909 date stamp in 2009. That card was graded VgWagner, named on the back from Ex and sold for a then-record “The Datethe day of the last $329,000” notes REA. “The Joe Stamped Wagner” game of the 1909 Pelaez example was graded Vg, so due to having the we thought it might bring a little date “October 16, Ty Cobb Tobacco less, but that’s not what happened. 1909” stamped on Tin in MINT condi- There was enormous interest. It the back, was last tion sold for a sold for more. That characterizes offered in the June record $88,875. the results for a lot of the premium 1997 REA aucitems in the auction.” The card tion, and at that World Series is fascinat- realized an astounding $451,750. time sold for what was then a very 1916 Babe Ruth Rookie impressive price of $119,310. In ing. We don’t have a crystal ball In addition to the T206 Wagner 1997, it was one of only a few for values, but if another fifteen cards that had ever sold for more years passes until this card sur- and T206 Doyle, the 1916 M101-4 than $100,000. Notes REA’s presi- faces in the market again, we may Babe Ruth rookie card proved that dent Robert Lifson, “Just like in find that its value is in the mil- recent sales are not an aberration the stock market, collectors often lions. This is what we fully expect and that it can now be counted on look at values only over a short will be the case.” (Continued on page 2) period of time. We always say that in the short run, at auction, anything can happen. The same card or item can sell for more or less when offered in a short period of time and this does not necessarily provide a strong indication of market direction. Sometimes you have to stand back and look at the numbers over a long period of time to really appreciate how the market has changed. This card has increased in value over 500 percent over the past fifteen years. The sale at $651,750 was not a fluke, or a case of two bidders battling it out. There were 1868 Brooklyn Atlantics Trade Peck & Snyder Trade Card (reserve $5,000) sold for over twenty-five different an amazing $82,950.