Mile High Card Company Sets New Record Prices Across the Board in $5.6M April Auction

CASTLE ROCK, CO - If Mile High Card Company’s first catalog auction of 2021 is any indication, the amazing bull-run of prices realized will continue its upward trend throughout the year and beyond. “A few of the real outliers have started to recede slightly, but in all, the hobby is strong and getting even stronger. We saw a lot of record prices fall in this auction and we believe that we will continue to deliver throughout the summer as well”, said MHCC President/CEO Brian Drent. A 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan RC PSA 10 GEM MINT that sold for $421,428 and a 1951 Bowman #305 Willie Mays PSA 8 NM/MT that fetched $209,225 led the way.

Other key cards sold included a 1933 Blue Bird Babe Ruth Front View PSA 8 NM-MT that nearly doubled the previous record price at $16,667, 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 2 GOOD that shattered the previous record with a sale of $66,027, 1952 Topps #333 Pee Wee Reese PSA 9 MINT that more than doubled the previous high mark at $62,882, 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron PSA 8 NM-MT that brought down $62,455, 1959 Topps #514 Bob Gibson PSA 9 MINT that also set a new record at $36,761, 1969 Topps #260 Reggie Jackson PSA 9 MINT hauling in $66,027, 1972 Topps #79 Red Sox Rookies Garman/Cooper/Fisk PSA 10 GEM MT selling for $24,670, 1980 Topps Bird / Erving / Johnson PSA 9 MINT fetching $43,195, 1957 Topps #138 John Unitas PSA 8.5 NM-MT+ snagging a record price of $38,273, 1965 Topps #122 Joe Namath PSA 8 NM-MT that sold for $52,985, 1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana PSA 10 GEM MINT fetched a sizzling $70,418, 2000 Bowman Chrome #236 Tom Brady PSA 10 GEM MINT got plenty of attention and landed at $17,676, 1979 O-Pee-Chee #18 Wayne Gretzky PSA 8 NM-MT saw spirited bidding and closed at $24,080, and a 1926 Lambert & Butler Who's Who in Sport #2 R.T. Jones PSA 9 MINT that sold for $42,197, almost three times the previous record sale.

A spectacular Babe Ruth Single Signed Baseball JSA 8 NM/MT was one of the hotly contested items in the auction and sold for $78,422 and a 1949 Bowman #50 Jackie Robinson Autographed PSA/DNA NM/MT 8 and JSA impressed at $55,172, with an extensive list of autographs, game-used items, and memorabilia which also includes an Extraordinary 1916 Rookie Era - Type 1 Photo of Boston Red Sox Pitchers Including Babe Ruth PSA/DNA selling for $30,240, Spectacular Ty Cobb Single-Signed OAL (Johnson) Ball PSA/DNA and JSA bringing in $25,903, Tris Speaker Single-Signed Baseball JSA and PSA/DNA taking down $11,172, Paul Waner Single-Signed Baseball PSA/DNA closing at $9,352, Multi-Signed Hall of Fame OAL (Barnard) Ball Featuring Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Mack, Grove, and Cronin PSA/DNA that went for a strong $12,858, Harry Hooper Single-Signed OAL (Cronin) Ball PSA/DNA and JSA that amazed at a closing sale of $15,438, an Early Career Jackie Robinson Single-Signed ONL (Frick) Ball PSA/DNA that fetched $13,520, and an Early Mickey Mantle Single-Signed OAL (Harridge) Ball PSA/DNA that closed at $8,833. Also receiving much attention was a spectacular pair of Circa 1910 Tuxedo Tobacco Trolley Car Advertising Signs with Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, selling for $29,940 and $28,513 respectively.

Once again, Michael Jordan played a huge role in this auction as over 200 lots were directly related to “His Airness” with the 1986 Fleer Jordan RC PSA 10 joined by a 1987 Fleer #59 Jordan PSA 10 GEM MINT selling for $31,486, 1997-98 Z-Force Super Rave #190 Michael Jordan Zupermen BGS 9.5 GEM MINT selling for $34,714, 1998-99 SPX Finite Spectrum #201 Michael Jordan FE BGS 8.5 NM-MT+ #1/25 grabbing $22,563, 1998-99 Upper Deck Encore Michael Jordan Autograph /50 BGS 8.5 W/10 Autograph hammering at $22,001, and a 1998-99 Upper Deck Game Jerseys #GJ20 Michael Jordan BGS 8.5 NM/MT+ bringing in $13,074. A 1986 Fleer Basketball Unopened Wax Pack Jordan Sticker on Back PSA 8 NM/MT setting a new record mark with a sale of $12,046. But it wasn’t just Michael Jordan dominating the scarce basketball cards in the auction, which included a 1957 Topps #77 Bill Russell BVG 6.5 EX/MT+ that sold for $24,405 (the last recorded sale was $3,250 in 2018) and a 1971 Topps #100 Lew Alcindor PSA 9 MINT, recording a sale of $19,705 that is almost ten times the previous record price of $1,995. Other sales of note include a 1986 Fleer #7 Charles Barkley PSA 10 GEM MINT that sold for $14,416, 1996 Topps Chrome #138 Kobe Bryant PSA 10 GEM MINT earning $33,866, 2003 Topps Chrome #111 LeBron James PSA 10 GEM MINT going for $20,325, and a 2003 Ultimate Collection LeBron James Ultimate Signatures PSA 10 with 10 Autograph setting another new record at $53,992.

Exceptional prices across the board were registered for unopened packs, boxes, and cases as the over 300 lots were led by a 1968 Topps Baseball Full Unopened Wax Box Series 1 BBCE that brought in an eye-popping $96,732 and a 1975 Topps Baseball Full Unopened Rack Box with Brett/Yount RCs and Many Stars Showing BBCE that saw the hammer come down at $104,882. Other key pieces included a 1978 Topps Baseball Unopened Factory Sealed Three Box Rack Case BBCE that sold for $24,052, 1980 Topps Baseball Unopened Factory Sealed Three Box Rack Case BBCE amazed at $45,361, 1991 Topps Desert Shield Unopened Wax Box BBCE hauling in an astounding $48,849, 1972-73 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE closing at $23,692, 1973-74 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE that sold for $14,886, 1974-75 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE that sold for $12,290, 1980-81 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE that was a hard-fought win at $40,530, 1987-88 Fleer Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE selling for $25,903, 2003-04 Topps Chrome NBA Unopened Hobby Box selling for $31,486, 2017 Panini Football Contenders Unopened 12-Box Case that sold for $36,540, 1979-80 Topps Hockey Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE taking in $50,461, and 1985 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Unopened Series 1 Wax Box 48 Packs (BBCE) that the non-sports crowd battled for and sold for $28,800.

Several world-class sets and near-sets received heavy bidding with a 1909-11 T206 Near-Complete Portrait Set (129/179) All PSA/SGC Graded selling as individual lots for a total of $40,160, 1949 Bowman Near Complete Set w/ Many Graded Including High Grade Paige taking in an impressive $33,887, 1951 Bowman Near Complete Set (318/324) All PSA 8 or Better #10 on PSA Set Registry selling for $48,140, 1953 Topps Complete Set Completely PSA Graded taking down $33,061, 1959 Home Run Derby Complete Set Completely Graded selling for $17,501, 1986 Fleer Basketball Complete Set (132) Plus a Near-Complete Sticker Set (No Abdul-Jabbar) Each Card Graded PSA 9 MINT closing at $69,589, and a 1953 Parkhurst Complete Master Set #3 Finest on PSA Set Registry selling as individual lots for a total of $80,379.

Once again, we are immensely grateful to our incredible bidders and consignors for helping us present another ground-breaking auction and are currently accepting consignments for our June Auction, so if you desire the maximum possible return for your prized sports cards and memorabilia, please call our office at (303) 840-2784 to speak with one of MHCC’s experts, or visit our website at www.milehighcardco.com.