38 Sports Collectors Digest / August 16, 2019 http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com
T
he key phrase as collectors pre-
pare to open up Memory Lane’s
Summer Rarities Auction catalog
is “variety.” It doesn’t matter what you
collect—old cards, extremely old cards,
high-grade Hall of Famers, modern
rarities, autographs, Babe Ruth items, un-
opened material, Type 1 photos or scarce
bobbleheads – there’s probably something
inside that’s on your want list.
Set to open July 27, the auction will
also feature the collection of the late big
league player and manager Don Baylor.
Known for bringing some of the
hobby’s true vintage baseball card icons
to market, Memory
Lane will open the
auction with one
of the hottest cards
on the market, a
T206 Ty Cobb green
portrait graded PSA
- One of only eight
at that level on PSA’s
Population Report,
the card carries a
Sweet Caporal 150 Subjects/Factory 30
back. Bidding opened at $50,000. It’s one
of several different Cobb cards in the auc-
tion with the highest graded T206 Uzit
back also among the more than 875 lots.
T206 cards factor heavily into the
auction with numerous high-grade cards
being sold in individual lots as well as
a near set of 483 PSA-graded cards that
ranked 14th on the 520-card set registry
with a 3.88 GPA.
The auction will also feature one of
only two encapsulated examples of the
1914 Boston Garter Cobb. The other,
rated VG-EX, sold at auction last year for
$204,000. Right next door to the Cobb
will be the only known example of the
1914 Boston Garter Home Run Baker,
recently crossed to a PSA 1.
A 1909 E90-1 American Caramel
Joe Jackson rookie card, a 1917 Collins-
McCarthy Babe Ruth, several high-grade
T3 Turkey Reds and a NM/MT example
of the 1935 National Chicle Bronko
Nagurski are among the other pre-war
highlights.
Mickey Mantle’s two most desirable
cards will lead off the post-War selec-
tion: a 1951 Bowman rookie card graded
PSA 8 and a 1952 Topps rated PSA 7.
They’ll be joined by one of only two
PSA 10 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella
rookie cards, a 1954 Topps Hank Aaron
rookie card graded PSA 8.5, a 1948-49
Leaf Satchel Paige rookie (PSA 6), one
of just eight 1957 Topps Johnny Unitas
rookie cards
ever to grade
PSA 9, and a
1965 Topps Joe
Namath PSA 8.
The Memory
Lane auction
will offer a new
opportunity to
own what’s con-
sidered one of
thehobby’s most important vintage hock-
ey cards. The last PSA 8 1958-59 Topps
Bobby Hull rookie sold for a whopping
$84,000 just over two years ago.
As usual, the auction includes dozens
of complete and near complete sets, hun-
dreds of graded singles from all sports
and a big selection of vintage unopened
sports and non-sports packs and boxes.
Modern cards aren’t forgotten; in
fact, the auction includes a 2003 Upper
Deck Exquisite LeBron James rookie
card #45/100, a 2015-16 The Cup Connor
McDavid auto jersey #85/99, and an un-
opened case of the much desired 2003-04
Upper Deck Exquisite basketball.
The auction will feature dozens of
pieces of historic sports memorabilia,
including a Joe Jackson/Buck Weaver
signed baseball dating to their fi nal
season before both were banished from
the game, a high-grade Mel Ott single
signed baseball, a Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig
signed 1927 barnstorming tour photo
that’s inscribed and dated by Gehrig;
a Mickey Mantle signed and inscribed
high school yearbook from 1947; a 1951
Yankees team signed baseball from
Mantle’s rookie season that also includes
Joe DiMaggio and 24 others. Memory
Lane’s consignor acquired the ball from
former big leaguer Johnny Hopp 30 years
ago when he was parting with many of
his career momentos.
As usual, Memory Lane’s catalog
includes a strong group of vintage photos
featuring past greats. The headliners in-
clude a young Ruth snapped by legendary
photographer George Grantham Bain in
1915, a 1930s Type 1 photo of a smiling
Gehrig from the lens of George Burke,
and a group of four photos from the open-
ing of Yankee Stadium in 1923.
Don Baylor’s family has consigned
multiple important pieces from his long
career. A long-time player, coach and
manager for several teams, this auction
will include Baylor’s 1987 Minnesota
Twins World Series trophy, numerous
rings from championship seasons and
All-Star games, game-worn jerseys and
bats from players he knew.
The auction also includes a one-of-a-
kind item that will require some logistics
from the winning bidder. Up for grabs
is the original basketball court from the
Spectrum, Philadelphia’s legendary sports
and entertainment venue. The 6,720
square-foot fl oor is currently stored in
Ohio and carries a $50,000 minimum bid.
Bidding will close August 10. Many
of the items in the auction will be on
display at the company’s booth during this
year’s National Sports Collectors Conven-
tion in Chicago July 31-August 4.
For a complete listing of the items in
the auction, visit http://www.memorylaneinc.
com. ◆
Ruth, Cobb & more
Memory Lane’s Summer Rarities Auction
loaded with vintage and mordern rarities
Auction Circuit
IMAGE COURTESY MEMORY LANE INC.