Ruth Ball Goes For Auction

Originally Posted by Sports Collectors Daily on May 29, 2009.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the T206 baseball card set continues to be a vintage hit with collectors.

A completely graded set containing 520 of the 524 cards issued sold for $48,375 in Huggins & Scott Auctions' spring catalog sale. The set, ranked sixth on SGC's Set Registry, was missing the "big four" cards that are too elusive and expensive for most collectors. The final bid was actually $45,000. The winner paid only a 7.5% buyer's premium fee with the company's sliding scale instituted late last year.

Two of those four rarities were offered in the auction. A T206 Eddie Plank, graded 'authentic' sold for $29,562 including the buyer's premium. Only 59 Plank cards have been graded by SGC or PSA. A Sherry 'Magie' error card, graded SGC 10, brought $8137.

Post-war card collections usually aspire to owning a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card and H&S offered two. A PSA 6 sold for $22,000 including a 10% buyer's fee while an SGC 30 example brought $5625 (12.5%).

Heading up the memorabilia portion of the auction was a high grade Babe Ruth autographed baseball, signed late in the Babe's life. The authenticated ball brought $14,300.

A pair of Yankees vintage signed baseballs also drew traffic. A 1951 ball containing 31 signatures sold for $10,125 while a 1961 offering with 27 autographs brought $5462.

A 1981 Reggie Jackson game-worn Yankees home jersey sold for $9000 while a Johnny Bench game-used bat, graded PSA/DNA 10, sold for an impressive $7312.

Other highlights included:

• 1952 Bowman Large football set with 26 graded $9000
• 1927 Philadelphia A's team signed ball $6750
• 1922 World Series press pin   $6750
• 1909 M-101-2 Sporting News Supplement set of 24 $5625
• 1935 NFL Championship program $5462
• 1939 Play Ball set of 161 (31 graded) $4600
• 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie (PSA 9) $4025
• 1888 Goodwin's Champions Beecher (first ever football card) $3737