22 Sports Collectors Digest / August 16, 2019 http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com
AT HOME IN THE HALL — The
2019 Baseball Hall of Fame class was an
interesting lot, from the no-questions-
asked induction of Mariano Rivera (the
fi rst-ever unanimous selection) to fellow
closer Lee Smith to a pair of hitters who
were mainly DHs in their careers: Edgar
Martinez and Harold Baines. And, of
course, the induction of Mike Mussina
and Roy Halladay signals that starting
pitchers no longer need eye-popping stats
(of the Cy Young, Walter Johnson and
Christy Mathewson variety) to get into
the Hall.
In fact, Mussina humbly questioned
his own selection, asking, “What am I
doing here? And how in the world did I
get here? I was never fortunate enough to
win a Cy Young Award or to be a World
Series champion. I didn’t win 300 games
or strike out 3,000 batters. And while
my opportunities for those achievements
are in the past, today I get to become a
member of the National Baseball Hall of
Fame. Maybe I was saving up from all of
those ‘almost’ achievements for one last
push, and this time I made it.”
Halladay didn’t win a World Series or
strike out 3,000 hitters, though he did win
two Cy Youngs. But like Mussina, he was
a rock-solid and reliable performer for
many years. Their career stats: Mussina
was 270-153 with a 3.68 ERA and 2,813
strikeouts. Halladay was 203-105 with a
3.39 ERA and 2,117 Ks.
Collectors can be aggressive in bid-
ding on memorabilia related to the six
new inductees. Only Rivera—with those
Yankee pinstripes being a major factor—
s pushing into pricier territory. Yet not
even Rivera has spiked into the budget-
busting territory of countless other Hall
of Famers.
Here’s a look at the priciest lots on
eBay involving each of the new Hall of
Famers.
- Mariano Rivera: As the HOF induc-
tion drew nearer, the priciest Rivera item
to sell was an autographed game-used
baseball from September 2013. Au-
thenticated by Steiner Sports, it sold for
$2,491. Also, a Rivera-signed 2018 Topps
Dynasty 1-of-1 card including an MLB
logo patch brought $1,900. And a 1990
Diamond Cards issue (graded PSA 10)
capturing Rivera as a minor leaguer with
Tampa fetched $1,800.
- Lee Smith: A PSA 10 specimen of
Smith’s 1982 Topps rookie card brought
$827, while PSA 9 examples of the same
card went for $204 and $200. A PSA
10-graded 1982 Fleer rookie card of
Smith, meanwhile, got away for $300.
- Edgar Martinez: The high-water
mark for Martinez in recent months is a
PSA 10 example of his 1991 Topps Des-
ert Shield card. It sold for $695. Another
Martinez card, a 1998 Donruss Crusade
insert, sold for $500; it was one of only
25 made. And an autographed seat from
Martinez’s home park, Safeco Field, sold
for $499. The seat’s number—naturally—
was the same as Martinez’s uniform
number (11).
- Harold Baines: The longtime White
Sox slugger’s Topps rookie card is seeing
a bit of a lift. Two PSA 10 examples of
the 1981 card sold for prices of $1,225
1.$92,999: 1952 ToppsMickeyMantle(PSA6)
- $30,668: 1910 E98“Setof30”TyCobb,card#10(PSA
3.$25,000:2018-19PaniniNationalTreasuresLukaDoncic,
#/10,autopatch(ungraded)
4.$20,501: 1952 ToppsMickeyMantle(PSA2.5)
T5.$18,100: 1951 BowmanMickeyMantle(PSA6)
T5.$18,100: 1948 LeafJackieRobinson(SGC7.5)
7.$17,500: 2009 BowmanSterlingProspectsMikeTroutGold
Refractor#39/50(BGS9.5,auto10)
8.$16,878: 1952 BowmanMickeyMantle(PSA8)
9.$15,655: 1963 ToppsPeteRose,RookieStars(BVG9)
10.$15,478: 1952 ToppsMickeyMantle(PSA2)
Top Ten Online Auctions
Online Auctioneer
by Larry Canale; [email protected]