COMPLIMENTARY COPY TM
The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 46, NO. 29 FRIDAY JULY 17, 2015
Robert Edward Auctions Delivers Record-Setting Results In Historic $7.54 Million Baseball Auction T206 Honus Wagner Soars To $1.32 Million, And 1916 Babe Ruth Rookie Sets A New Mark At $204,000
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ollectors of high-end baseball cards and memorabilia were glued to Robert Edward Auctions as prices soared to astounding levels across the board during the record-setting April 25 auction. An incredible 121 lots sold for $10,000 or more. Four lots eclipsed the $100,000 mark, and the auction’s headline lot realized in excess of $1,000,000! The total sales of $7.54 million defined the auction as one of the largest and most successful single-day baseball auctions in collecting history. “These results speak for themselves: about the quality of the material offered, about the appreciation of the collecting world for how REA presents items and conducts auctions, about the well-deserved trust collectors have in REA, and about the strength of the market,” said REA president Robert Lifson. Media attention surrounding the auction was at an all-time high, with the million-dollar T206 Honus Wagner garnering extensive interest far and wide. The card made appearances on ESPN and FOX Business Network, as well as several TV news programs in the New York and Pittsburgh metro areas. Major sports radio, including CBS New York, and print publications, including the New York Daily News, covered the auction. The record-setting sale captured
This 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner This 1916 M101-4 Sporting News A 1933 R319 Goudey uncut sheet with three Babe Ruths and Lou Gehrig PSA VG 3 sold for a staggering #151 Babe Ruth Rookie PSA EX-MT (reserve $50,000) realized a new auction record for any Goudey sheet ever, 6 (reserve $25,000) soared to an selling at $168,000. record price of $1,320,000. extraordinary record $204,000.
worldwide attention, with headline stories on CNN, Yahoo!, CNBC, and ESPN, as well as Associated Press coverage in hundreds of publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, in addition to international venues. 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner One of the finest examples of the legendary T206 Honus Wagner card, graded PSA VG 3, led the auction and sold for $1,320,000. This price by far established a new record price for a Wagner card in this condition. The card had previously sold for $791,000 in 2008 and is now one of only a handful of baseball cards to ever sell for more than one million dollars. Bidding opened at $100,000, and 42 bids were placed by collectors from all around the world. “The interest in this card was tremendous,” said REA consignment director Brian Dwyer. “Bidders really appreciated the quality of the card, its great story, and the rare opportunity to own one of the most famous baseball cards in existence. We were honored to have had the privilege to include it among the items in our spring auction lineup,” said Dwyer. 1910 T210 Old Mill Tobacco Collection A 1910 T210 Old Mill Tobacco card An extraordinary near-comof Joe Jackson sold for a record plete set of red-bordered T210 Old $168,000.
Mill cards, consisting of 610 out of 640 cards and offered in 12 different lots, combined to realize $243,600. The collection was highlighted by a stunning SGC VG 40 example of the key Joe Jackson card, one of fewer than 20 known to exist, which sold for $168,000, a world record price for this rarity in the assigned grade. The same card had appeared at auction only once before, originating from a freshlydiscovered collection consigned to REA in 2006 by the family of the original owner, at which time it realized $116,000. The escalation in price illustrates the continuing great appreciation for one of card collecting’s rarest and most desirable cards. The collection also contained one of the highest-graded examples of Casey Stengel’s rare sixth series A total of six rings, including this 2009 New York Yankees front office employee World Series ring ($16,800), combined to realize $69,240.
card (reserve $5,000). Graded SGC EX 60, the card drew extremely spirited bidding before ending the night at $27,000. Cards from each of the eight series were offered in lots by series, with the two toughest series (seven and eight) split into two lots. “The T210 set has always been extremely highly regarded by advanced collectors for its distinctive design, its scarcity compared to most other tobaccocard sets of the era, and its extremely striking photos that are unique to the set. The Joe Jackson card all alone would be a special highlight in any auction. It’s one of the best
baseball cards in existence. But being offered along with almost all the other cards in the set made this a very special offering all the
The circa 1930s Babe Ruth singlesigned ball led a 500 home run signed ball collection of 25, which sold for $66,300.
more appreciated by advanced collectors,” said Lifson. More $100,000+ Highlights A remarkable 1916 M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card graded PSA EX-MT 6 was hotly contested, reaching an extraordinary record-setting final price of $204,000 against a book value of $95,000 for a Ruth card in this condition. The card was entirely new to the modern (Continued on page 2)
A stunning 1909 T204 Ramly Tobacco Walter Johnson SGC NM Thirteen unopened wax and vending boxes from 1971 to 1991 tallied an A newly-discovered 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Team CDV (res. $5,000) 84 (reserve $10,000) realized astounding $101,880. sold for $27,000. $42,000.