Heritage Auctions’ Bidders Fuel Sports Card Market in $8.86M Spring Trading Card Auction

World's largest collectibles auctioneer flexes its muscle with dozens of record prices realized

DALLAS, Texas (April 23, 2019) — Heritage Auctions' April 18-19 Sports Card Catalog Auction established itself as the most lucrative of the 2019 season to date, blasting past pre-auction estimate tallies of $7 million to close with aggregate winning bids of $8.86 million. The auction provided no quarter for bargain shoppers, with huge prices recorded across all subgenres of graded singles and sets, unopened wax and boxes, condition-rarities and low-pop commons. No fewer than seven cards recorded six-figure prices.

"We're certainly receiving a higher volume of consignment calls today," said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage. "The market remains strong, and these stunning results across the board are prompting some longtime collectors to consider selling."

Inaugural class Hall of Fame singles took the top three spots on the pricing podium April 18. Ty Cobb's 1915 Cracker Jack card, one of just three to earn a Mint 9 rating from PSA, commanded a remarkable $504,000, while the legendary Babe Ruth drew $432,000 for a 1932 Caramel card in the same Mint 9 condition. In third place, Honus Wagner's ultra-rare 1902-11 W600 (street clothes) posted a $264,000 result in an SGC 60 EX 5 slab.

The storied T206 issue supplied some of the most vibrant fireworks on Thursday evening, with the rare Eddie Plank drawing $96,000 for a PSA VG-EX 4 specimen, and the condition-rarity common Joe Doyle (NY-Hands Above Head) crushing its $6,000 pre-auction estimate with a $40,800 result.

Other world record highlights include:

     • $216,000: 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio #71, PSA Mint 9

     • $180,000: Circa 1860 carte de visite of the Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn, SGC VG 3

     • $78,000: 1932 U.S. Caramel Bobby Jones #3, PSA Mint 9: the finest of one of three known

     • $72,000: 1914 Boston Garter Tris Speaker, SGC 40 VG 3: one of just two graded examples on the SGC and PSA census

     • $33,600: 1963 Fleer Willie Mays #5, PSA Gem Mint 10, one of two known

     • $28,800: The highest-graded example of the 1911 T205 Polar Bear Ed Walsh card, PSA NM-MT 8

     • $24,000: Unopened! A 1969 Topps Football Series 2 Wax Box With 24 packs

     • $21,600: 1912 T227 Honest Long Cut Ty Cobb, PSA VG-EX 4

     • $19,200: 1910 E105 Mello-Mint Hal Chase, PSA VG-EX 4

     • $12,000: 1959 Home Run Derby Frank Robinson, PSA NM-MT 8

     • $19,200: 1958 Topps Hank Aaron (White Letters) #30, PSA Mint 9

     • $11,400: 2004 Upper Deck Trilogy Michael Jordan/LeBron James 1 - 2 Combo Dual Game-Worn Jersey Autograph Card #AUJJJ, PSA Mint 9

Heritage Auctions' next massive sports event is May 16-17 when it presents its Spring Catalog Auction. Packed with memorabilia, highlights include a 1956 Roy Campanella Game Worn Brooklyn Dodgers Jersey, a rare 2016 New England Patriots Super Bowl LI Championship Ring presented to a player and a 1928 Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig Dual-Signed Baseball. Visit HA.com/50013 for more details.

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has over one million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of four million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.



Eric Bradley, Director, Public Relations
214-409-1871; EricB@HA.com