1948 Bowman Baseball Near Full Box Tops $521,000, Paces Heavy Bidding in Mile High Card Company June Auction

Castle Rock, CO – After weeks of speculation, the question, “What’s it worth?” has finally been answered. After back and forth bidding by several suitors that went well into the night, the 1948 Bowman Baseball Near Full Box closed the show with a winning bid of $521,180, leading an incredible collection of unopened material being hailed as one of the greatest finds of the 21st Century. Other winning bids (with buyer’s premium) include 1961 Fleer Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box at $108,089, 1961 Topps Football 5 Cent Pack Full Unopened Wax Box at $119,977, 1962 Topps Football Nearly Full Unopened Wax Box (20/24) Packs at $45,256, 1961 Fleer Football Unopened Wax Box at $24,947, 1962 Fleer Football Nearly Full Unopened Wax Box (19/24) Packs at $30,325, 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Full Unopened Wax Box at $20,522 and 1960 Topps Football Group of (6) Wax Packs Plus Display Box at $16,814. In all, the “Beer Box Find” netted a total of $907,751. “While it’s always risky to speculate on where the final prices for items that are unique to the hobby will ultimately land, we were pleased that our estimates were virtually spot-on,” said MHCC President and CEO Brian Drent, referring to features in The New York Times and Forbes Magazine pricing the 1948 box and total for the find at $500,000 and $900,000 respectively.

Of course, there was plenty of other action in the MHCC June auction, including the breakup of the #12 PSA Set Registry ranked 1952 Topps set, which sold for a total of $152,368, the #1 ranked 1956 Topps Super Set, which sold as individual lots for a total of $135,084 and a pair of elite Mickey Mantle cards; 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 6 EX/MT that sold for $71,106 and a 1951 Wheaties #G Mickey Mantle Premium Photo PSA 10 GEM MINT, a rookie year Mantle issue that is the one and only PSA 10 on record, that changed hands for $33,734.

Other notable items cards include 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson PSA 8.5 NM/MT+ that hammered at $25,587, 1953 Topps #82 Mickey Mantle PSA 7 NM sold for $15,311, 1955 Topps #123 Sandy Koufax PSA 8 NM/MT at $10,496, 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente PSA 7 NM that went for a near world record $12,897, a pair of Mickey Mantle records that set all-time price records: 1958 Topps #150 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 NM/MT that sold for $8,112 and 1960 Topps #350 Mickey Mantle PSA 8 that netted $5,958, 1968 Topps #177 Nolan Ryan PSA 9 MINT that changed hands for $23,207, 1957 Topps 377 Bill Russell PSA 8 NM/MT that sold for $25,587, 1961 Fleer #3 Elgin Baylor PSA 9 MINT at $29,872 and 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson PSA 9 MINT that found a new home for $28,449. A Spectacular Jackie Robinson Single-Signed ONL (Giles) Ball (sold for $15,836) and a Jimmie Foxx Single Signed AOL (Cronin) Ball ($6,307) headed up an extensive list of team and single-signed autographed baseballs.

Mile High Card Company would thank our amazing consignors for helping us put together this event. We’ve already begun the process of lining up more breathtaking items to make our next auction even greater and you still have time to be a part of it. If you desire the maximum possible return for your prized sports cards and/or memorabilia, please call our office at (303) 840-2784 to speak with one of our team of experts, contact us at www.milehighcardco.com. or visit us at the 38th National Sports Card Convention in Chicago, July 26th-30th.