Heritage Auctions’ April 18 and 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. Seven cards recorded six-figure prices.
“We’re certainly receiving a higher volume of consignment calls,” 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 day one. 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, 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 highlights included $216,000 for a 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio #71, PSA Mint 9, and $180,000 for a circa 1860 carte-de-visite of the Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn, SGC VG 3. A 1932 U.S. Caramel Bobby Jones #3, PSA Mint 9, the finest of one of three known, sold for $78,000; and $33,600 was paid for a 1963 Fleer Willie Mays #5, PSA Gem Mint 10, one of two known.
A 1958 Topps Hank Aaron (White Letters) #30, PSA Mint 9, realized $19,200, and a 1959 Home Run Derby Frank Robinson, PSA NM-MT 8, $12,000.
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