1954 Topps Hank Aaron RC PSA 9 MINT Grabs Over $223,000 and 1993 SP Derek Jeter PSA 10 GEM Nets $167K in Mile High Card Company May Auction
Castle Rock, CO - May 15, 2020
If the results of Mile High Card Company’s May auction are any indication, the sportscard and memorabilia market just continues to gain momentum. “With the uncertainty of the current economic climate, we really didn’t know what to expect. But at every checkpoint during the auction process, we were ahead of our goal and finished well above expectations. Right now, there isn’t a better time to be a consignor” said MHCC President and CEO Brian Drent.
Leading the auction were two truly iconic cards; a 1954 Topps #128 Hank Aaron RC PSA 9 MINT fresh to the hobby that sold for the highest price realized in the last four years, $223,443, and a 1993 SP Foil #279 Derek Jeter PSA 10 GEM MINT that closed for bidding at the sum of $166,713, topping a sale from two months ago by over $25,000. Other high-profile cards included a 1910 E98 Ty Cobb SGC 9 MINT that sold for $16,626, 1910 E98 Cy Young SGC 9 MINT closing at $7,950, 1912 T202 Hassan Triple Folder Fast Work At Third Charles O'Leary/Ty Cobb PSA 8 NM-MT selling for $14,826, 1914 Cracker Jack #30 Ty Cobb PSA 3 VG that fetched $19,729, 1915 Cracker Jack #136 Rabbit Maranville PSA 9 MINT that also earned a total of $19,729, 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle PSA 4.5 VG-EX+ that sold for an impressive $11,258, 1954 Bowman #170 Duke Snider PSA 10 GEM MINT that brought down $8,968, 1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente SGC 8.5 NM/MT+ that hauled in $39,375, 1956 Topps #15 Ernie Banks PSA 9 MINT selling for $6,831, 1956 Topps #135 Mickey Mantle Gray Back PSA 8 NM/MT, a hobby classic, fetching $10,234, 1958 Topps #47 Roger Maris PSA 9 MINT closing at $9,314, 1959 Topps #514 Bob Gibson PSA 9 MINT selling for $17,872, 1966 Topps #50 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT netting $9,315, 1967 Topps #150 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT that sold for $7,687, 1969 Topps #260 Reggie Jackson PSA 9 MINT bringing in $25,182, the first and only 1971 Topps #625 Lou Brock PSA 10 GEM MINT that brought the interest of advanced collectors and sold for $20,868, and a 1961 Fleer #8 Wilt Chamberlain PSA 8.5 NM/MT+ that ended up at $29,378.
Whenever an MHCC auction closes, the record books have to be rewritten with astonishing new highs in prices realized. Reaching the top of the charts in the May auction was a 1939 Play Ball #92 Ted Williams PSA 6.5 EX-MT+ that sold for $11,977, more than doubling the previous record price, 1941 Double Play Tommy Henrich/Marius Russo 111/112 and 1941 Double Play Gerald Walker/Joe Heving 135/136, each graded PSA 9 MINT and earning $4,317, 1956 Topps #30 Jackie Robinson White Back PSA 9 MINT that earned $13,133, making it the first time the card has ever topped the $10K mark, and 1956 Topps #130 Willie Mays PSA 9 MINT that saw spirited bidding before settling at $13,611, over $2,000 above the previous high mark. Home Run Derby cards ruled the night as well with a 1959 Home Run Derby Mickey Mantle PSA 5 EX selling for $8,998 (previous record was $2,670) and a Gil Hodges PSA 7 NM earning $7,137. That same Hodges card sold a year ago for $1,440. A 1969 Topps #255 Steve Carlton PSA 10 GEM MINT shattered the previous record of $5,497 with an MHCC May auction sale price of $7,436, 1991 Topps Desert Shield #333 Chipper Jones SGC 10 GEM MINT setting a new record at $7,618, and a 1996 Topps Chrome #138 Kobe Bryant PSA 10 GEM MINT also recorded a new sales mark at $6,007.
The MHCC May auction also included a wealth of premium items that include a 1888 A35 Goodwin "Baseball Champions" Premium Round Album that sold for $6,925, Circa 1910 Spectacular Peach (J.A. Peach Company) Baseball Gloves Advertising Display Featuring Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson, Young, Etc., one of the most coveted baseball advertising displays ever made, that finished at $31.409, Incredibly Scarce And Possibly Unique 1915-16 Rose and Company Clothiers World Series Champions Advertising Display Featuring Babe Ruth- A Paul Thompson Image selling for $28,795, and Magnificent Autographed Photo Album of the 1929 World Champion Philadelphia Athletics-Every Photo Autographed in 9/10 Fountain Pen with Six Hall of Famers PSA/DNA, that fetched $7,228. There was a pretty impressive selection of unopened material as well, including a 1951 Bowman Baseball Unopened 1-Cent Wax Pack GAI 8 NM/MT earning $4,770, Exceptionally Rare 1959 Topps Fourth Series Unopened 500-Count Vending Box that netted $12,131, 1964 Topps Baseball High Number Unopened Vending Box (500) closing at $9,898, 1972 OPC Baseball Second Series Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE bringing in $3,813, 1975 Topps Mini Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE closing out at $6,760, 1961 Fleer Basketball Unopened Wax Pack with Oscar Robertson RC on Back GAI 7.5 NM+ that earned $5,268, 1974-75 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE that closed at $6,760, and a 1975-76 Topps Basketball Full Unopened Wax Box BBCE at $6,154. A 1997 Skybox E-X2001 Jambalaya Complete Set of (15) on Uncut Sheet was one of the most hotly contested items in the auction, closing at $10,648.
Premium sets and near-sets sets included a 1951 Bowman Complete Set w/ Graded Mantle & Mays Rookies completing the journey at $8,745, 1952 Topps Near Complete Set (374/407) with PSA Graded closing at $14,018 after solid bidding, 1953 Topps Complete Set with Mantle PSA 4 and Mays PSA 5 that ended at $8,467, and the quintessential 1986 Fleer Basketball Complete Set, All PSA Graded with 8.515 Set Rating, that took down $9,538.
Mile High Card Company would like to express their gratitude to the greatest collectors and consignors in the industry for another successful auction and is currently accepting consignments for our August auction. If you desire the maximum possible return for your prized sports cards and memorabilia, please call our office at visit our website at www.milehighcardco.com or call Brian Drent at (303) 748-1371.