1915 Cracker Jack Poster, Rare Baseball Cards Top Auction

Content Originally Posted by Sports Collectors' Daily

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will once again get the first copy of Robert Edward Auctions catalog next month.

They might be jealous.

REA has loaded its once-a-year event with some Cooperstown-worthy items. From a 1932 Babe Ruth game-worn cap to a Ruth rookie card, a T206 Honus Wagner and a 1915 Cracker Jack advertising poster, the 672-page catalog contains some of the most rare pieces of sports memorabilia ever offered.

Over 10,000 catalogs will ship on April 9. The final date of bidding is May 2. Bidding starts April 10 by FAX, phone, or the Internet via the Robert Edward’s website. The total sales for the event are expected to exceed $5-million.

Serious baseball collectors look forward to the long-time auction house's annual spring affair.

“We try to make it a special event for everyone, to make it fun and at the same time to give collectors and historians some great reading with the catalog,” says REA president Robert Lifson. “With all the problems in the economy, and all the problems even in the baseball memorabilia world, we feel our auction has a special place in the field. We’re trying to do more than just have an auction. We’re trying to create a positive event that is historic, that makes collecting fun, and that everyone can be a part of, as a bidder, a consignor, or just as an observer.” Of course, having great material makes it all possible. “This year, really, we’ve gotten very lucky. The material is unbelievable. This may be our best auction ever.”

The 1915 Cracker Jack Poster on the catalog cover is one of many highlights. Also included in the auction are the two most valuable baseball cards in the world, the famous T206 Honus Wagner and the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie Card (each with a reserve of $50,000); an incredible newly discovered find of unopened 1930s gum cards, and the 1932 Ruth cap, from the year of “The Called Shot”. Given by Yankees' manager Joe McCarthy to his paperboy, the cap also has a $50,000 reserve.

The Cracker Jack poster, produced to promote Cracker Jack’s 1915 baseball card issue, is one of the rarest and most extraordinary of all baseball display pieces. The offered example, by far the finest of only two known, carries a minimum bid of $25,000. REA sold the same piece to the consignor in a private transaction in 1989 for $35,000.

“We’ve been trying to get this back to auction for twenty years," Lifson said. "We don’t know what it’s worth, but we think the owner is going to do very well. It’s the best Cracker Jack piece in the world. It’s the best twentieth- century baseball card advertising piece in the world. Great items always seem to do well over time and it doesn’t get any better than this item.”

“We think this is such a great item we actually produced a celluloid magnet as a keepsake, featuring the poster. We made over 10,000 of them. Every catalog will include one. This was a way to do something for collectors, and at the same time promote the auction. Only one person can get the poster but everyone can have a small refrigerator magnet version. It also seems in keeping with the spirit of Cracker Jack. You know... a prize in every box.”

Coming to the block will be over 1,500 lots of baseball collectibles covering the entire history of the game. The find of unopened gum boxes and packs from the 1930s announced last week will be offered in fifty lots.

The T206 Wagner, graded PSA 1, carries with it a story involving actor Charlie Sheen, the FBI and a New York restaurant. Sheen, an avid collector, allowed the card to be displayed at the All Star Café in New York. The card was stolen from its display case by workers at the All Star Café many years ago and replaced with a copy. The thieves were soon caught, and the Wagner card was recovered by the FBI. It has a minimum bid of $50,000 and based on sales of similar cards last year, is expected to sell for in excess of $100,000.

Many consider the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card to be the single most important baseball card in the world. The card, produced as part of a set for a newspaper promotion, features Ruth as an unknown minor league rookie straight out of St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Only ten 1914 Baltimore Ruths are known to exist, including the one owned by the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore. The reserve for this card is $50,000, and it is also expected to sell for in excess of $100,000.

Nineteenth-century baseball card sand items of great historical significance have always been a special area of interest for REA. An exceptional example of the famous 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Peck & Snyder advertising trade card featuring the very first professional team is a special highlight (est. $25,000+, res. $10,000). The auction comes just weeks after the 'California find' when a Peck & Snyder emerged from its quiet hiding place in a California antique shop and made a national TV tour before selling at auction for over $75,000.

Over 600 Old Judge baseball cards issued by Goodwin & Co from 1886 to 1890 are also included in the REA sale. Considered one of the largest OJ collections ever offered, a selection of N173 Old Judge cabinets, including many Hall of Famers are included. There are 29 1889 Police Gazette cabinet cards, the largest-ever offering of these extreme rarities, including a high grade example of Hall of Famer Tim Keefe (res. $5,000).

The auction includes a wide variety of other 19th century baseball cards including examples issued by Kalamazoo Bats and Mayo’s Cut Plug.

In addition to the poster, REA has a selection of Cracker Jack baseball cards issued in 1914 and 1915 and literally thousands of 1910-era baseball tobacco cards. These include four examples of the rare T206 Eddie Plank (one graded EX-MT 6 by PSA); five T206 Magie error cards; and numerous extremely high-grade T206 examples. The newly-discovered 1933 R306 Butter Cream Confectionery of Babe Ruth is another highlight item in the sale. One of card collecting’s most interesting and legendary rarities, this is only the third example known (res. $10,000).

There are baseball card complete sets of Topps and Bowman from virtually every year including three complete sets of 1952 Topps with the rare high-numbers.

Additional highlights:

PSA-Graded Sets: One of the finest T206 White Border sets ever assembled, the seventh highest-graded T206 set on the PSA registry, a total of 520 cards with a grade point average of 5.65, offered as a single lot, including four PSA NM-MT 8, seventy-one PSA NM 7, 277 PSA EX-MT 6, 163 PSA EX 5, four PSA VG-EX 4 (est. $100,000+, res. $50,000). Completely graded investment-grade 1952 Topps set, the most important issue in the entire world of postwar-card collecting (est. $50,000+; res. $25,000). This ultra high-grade set includes 42 NM-MT 8, 65 NM 7, 297 EX-MT 6, and just three cards grade lower (two Ex+, one Ex). In the more modern era, the 1963 Topps set listed as #5 on the PSA Set Registry is by far the finest ever offered by REA. This set includes eight PSA GEM MINT 10 cards, 124 PSA MINT 9s, and many highest-ever graded cards. The 1957 Topps PSA-Graded complete set listed as #9 on the Set Registry hAS with 77 cards graded PSA MINT 9, 328 graded PSA NM-MT 8, and just two cards PSA NM 7 (est. $25,000+; res. $10,000). The 1968 Topps PSA-Graded set listed as #6 on the PSA Set Registry has an extraordinary grade point average of 8.94, and includes one GEM MT 10, 561 MINT 9, two NM-MT+ 8.5, and thirty-four NM-MT 8. The 1957, 1963, and 1968 PSA Registry sets are each the finest ever seen or offered by REA, and each one of the highest graded complete sets of these classic issues ever assembled.

Graded Cards: Graded cards are a special strength. Among the many noteworthy individual cards of interest are: 1913 Voskamp’s Coffee Honus Wagner SGC VG 40 (Reserve $5,000), 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats Pete Gillespie, NYs, one of the finest portrait examples known, graded EX+ 70 by SGC (res. $5,000); a complete high-grade set of all six 1911 M110 Sporting Life Cabinets including Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Frank Chance, and Nap Lajoie, each offered individually; 1909-1911 E90-1 American Caramel Joe Jackson graded VG+ 3.5 by PSA. (est. $10,000+, res. $5,000); 1915 E145 Cracker Jack #88 Christy Mathewson - PSA MINT 9 – Highest graded example, (res. $10,000); 1916 M101-5 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth Rookie PSA EX 5 (est. $10,000/$15,000; res. $5,000), and 1904 Allegheny Card Co. Fred Clarke graded EX-MT 6 by PSA (res. $500).

The Charlie Conlon Collection was consigned to REA last year and a number of rare and valuable pieces are now available from a hoard that dates back decades. One highlight is perhaps the finest example of one the rarest and most valuable cards in the world: the famous NY Nat'l T206 Larry Doyle (hands over head pose). This extreme rarity (graded VG-EX 50 by SGC) is one of only approximately seven authentic examples known to exist, making it the rarest of all T206 cards and almost ten times rarer than the famous T206 Wagner. The minimum bid is $25,000. The estimate has been left open but it is expected to sell for over $100,000.

Other noteworthy highlights from the Conlon Collection include: 1933 R319 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie SGC NM 84 (est. $20,000, res. $10,000); 1933 R300 George C. Miller Uncut Sheet of 16 Cards - only example known (res. $5,000); 1933 R300 George C. Miller PSA-Graded Complete Set: #1 PSA Registry, (est. 20,000/30,000; res. $10,000); and 1968 Topps 3-D Complete PSA-Graded Set (est. 10,000+; res. 5,000).

Conlon was well known for cornering the market on the popular 1975 Topps Minis, buying many cases of this regionally issued Topps product, which happened to be sold in his area, long before they were extremely valuable. At one time it is believed he had over 700 cases, which he sold slowly over the next thirty years. No one knew how many he had, and buyers were always fearful it was a never-ending supply. It wasn’t. This auction includes the entire balance of his inventory: twenty-six complete wax box cases of 1975 Topps Baseball Minis.

Regionals: Several collections of rare regional issues are a special highlight of the auction. Included is a collection of 1953-1955 Briggs Meats cards, all in complete uncut two-card panels as originally issued, including panels with Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. The nine two-card panels (representing eighteen cards) are the largest and finest collection of these extreme regional rarities to ever be offered at auction, and may be the largest collection of uncut panels known (res. $5,000). The finest collection of rare 1953 Glendale Meats cards to ever be offered includes over sixty cards, among them a complete set and the highest-graded example of key card Art Houtteman, one of regional card collecting’s most legendary rarities (PSA EX-MT 6). There is a 1947 Bond Bread Jackie Robinson PSA-Graded Near-Complete Set (11 of 13 cards in the set), and a complete twenty-card set of 1954 Wilson Franks (Est. $4,000/$8,000; res. $2,000).

Additional Highlights: 1933 R319 Goudey uncut sheet with five Hall of Famers including #181 Babe Ruth (res. $10,000); a remarkable collection of seventeen 1910 E125 American Caramel Die-cuts including Honus Wagner; 1886 N167 Old Judge Buck Ewing Graded GOOD 30 by SGC (est. $10,000/$20,000; res. $5,000); a complete set of all four 1894 N142 Duke Cabinet baseball players offered individually; 1888 St. Louis Joseph Hall Team Cabinet Including Comiskey and McCarthy; 1886 N370 Lone Jack Cigarettes Chris Von Der Ahe (est. $2,000+, res. $1,000); and an exceptional collection of 1895 N566 Newsboy Tobacco Cabinets (fifteen cards in total) including Hall of Famers Amos Rusie and John Ward.

Complete Graded Sets: Complete or near-complete sets of many classic vintage card issues include:1911 T205 Gold Border Complete Set (208 Plus 2 Variations): #1 SGC Set Registry (est. $20,000/$30,000; res. $10,000); 1912 T207 Brown Background Near-Complete Set (191 of 200): #2 SGC Set Registry (est. $25,000+; res. $10,000); 1909-1911 E90-1 American Caramel Near-Complete Set: 114 of 120 cards (res. $10,000). Complete sets of many other classic issues, such as 1911 T3 Turkey Reds, 1912 T202 Hassan Triple Folders, 1933 Goudey, 1933 DeLong, 1933 R338 Sport Kings,1934 Goudey, 1934-1936 R327 Diamond Stars, 1939-1941 Play Ball, and 1948-1949 Leaf Gum (including rarities) are also featured.

Game-Used Uniforms: Tom Seaver’s 1967 New York Mets rookie home jersey, the best Seaver jersey in existence, graded a perfect A10 by MEARS (est. $25,000+; res. $10,000); 1927 Wilcy Moore New York Yankees Complete Game-Used Road Uniform (Jersey, Pants, and Hat) Ex-Halper (est. $10,000/$20,000);graded A10 by MEARS (res. $2,500), 1963 Don Drysdale Los Angeles Dodgers Signed Game-Used Road Jersey - Only Graded Example (est. $10,000+; res. $5,000, 1948 Charlie Grimm Chicago Cubs Game-Used Home Uniform (Jersey and Pants) and many rare jersey styles from the 1930s through the 1960s. The Val Picinich Collection is consigned directly from the Picinich family, and includes his 1924 World Tour Complete Uniform - Jersey, Pants, Hat, and Socks (est. 10,000+; res. $5,000).

Game-Used Bats: The auction also presents one of the finest selections of game-used bats to ever come to auction, including those of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Pie Traynor, and Hack Wilson. Dozens of additional pro-model bats are featured, including a high quality 1937-1941 Hank Greenberg bat. The Mickey Mantle bat is of special note as it is from so early in his career and can be dated to a particular year, 1955. (est. $10,000+, res. $5,000).

Autographs: In addition to autographed balls from all eras, and signed photos of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, the autograph album collection of early hobby pioneer Dr. John O’Meara, assembled in the 1930s, will be featured. The collection, presented in seventeen lots in its own catalog section, is especially noteworthy for its remarkable level of quality throughout and its inclusion of extreme Hall of Fame signature rarities, such as George Wright, Billy Hamilton, and Ned Hanlon. The highlight of all autographed items in the auction may be the 1899 Ed Delahanty Handwritten Letter (res. $10,000). This letter is all the more extraordinary due to its impeccable provenance. It originates from the files of the H&B Louisville Slugger Bat Company. Delahanty died in 1903. His signature is one of the true Holy Grails of Hall of Fame signature collecting, a virtually impossible-to-obtain stumbling block to any complete Hall of Fame signature collection. This is the first Delahanty signature Robert Edward Auctions has ever seen or offered in almost 40 years.

Memorabilia and Awards: Additional significant and historic memorabilia, including rings and awards, are also included: 1986 New York Mets World Series Owner's Trophy (res. $10,000); 1968 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees game-used cap (res. $2,500); 1922 New York Giants World Series ring - considered the first ever (est. $5,000/$7,500+; res. $2,500); 1971 Ron Santo Chicago Cubs Signed Game-Used home jersey (est. $5,000+; res. $2,500); 1956 Bucky Harris Detroit Tigers game-used road complete uniform (Jersey, Pants, and Cap); circa 1880 Deacon White catcher's mask, (res. $5,000). White was the first professional catcher to ever wear a mask. Also: Moe Berg’s 1923 Princeton University baseball jacket (res. $1,000); legendary one-armed ballplayer Pete Gray’s 1945 St. Louis Browns game-used cap; and circa 1875 Deacon White Game-Used Baseball Pants – the earliest known Major League Baseball uniform Item (1,000, 2,500+).

Other Sports: Sports other than baseball are also represented by a significant selection of extremely high quality items, including 1937-1945 Don Hutson Green Bay Packers Game-Used Home Jersey with what REA is calling 'phenomenal provenance' (res. $10,000); 1986-1987 Michael Jordan game-used Chicago Bulls home jersey (res. $5,000), one of only four Jordan Bulls jerseys ever graded a perfect A10 by MEARS; 1979-1985 Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers signed game-used home jersey (est. $2,000/$3,000; res. $1,000); 1997 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins signed game-used road Jersey with LOA from Marino (est. $2,000/$4,000; res. $1,000); 1976-1978 Bob McAdoo New York Knicks game-used jersey (est. $3,000+; res. $1,500); 1992 John Elway Denver Broncos sgned home jersey (res. $1,000); 1980-1982 Herschel Walker University of Georgia jersey (est. $2,000; res. $1,000); 1960-1963 Jim Taylor Green Bay Packers game-used road jersey (est. $5,000+; res. $2,500); 1977 Pele New York Cosmos home jersey (est. $5,000+; res. $2,500), and an extremely rare 1999 Augusta National Golf Club Masters jacket (res. $2,000).

Copies of the auction catalog are available free. To review the catalog online, to learn more about Robert Edward Auctions, or to receive a complimentary copy of the catalog, or to inquire about consignments, visit the Robert Edward Auctions website.