Over the weekend, Heritage Auctions hosted a Winter Sports Card Auction that made history with its remarkable sales. One of the standout items was the premiere Babe Ruth rookie card, graded 5.5 by SGC and bearing a blank back from the 1916 M101-5 series. This rare card reached an astounding sale price of $630,000, drawing attention for its scarcity, with only seven other known examples in SGC’s records.
The auction as a whole was a monumental event, accumulating over $11.1 million in total sales, including the buyer’s premium. Seven items achieved prices over $100,000, attracting collectors and investors alike. Notably, a Gem Mint PSA 10 graded 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card set a new record for the highest sale price of a Gem Mint PSA graded copy since September 2021.
The auction featured an impressive collection of vintage, still-sealed boxes, with a highlight being a 1965 Topps Baseball wax box containing cards from the second, third, and fourth series. This box, originating from the collection of Adolph “Herky” Rupp Jr., a descendant of renowned Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp, fetched a remarkable $336,000 after being authenticated by BBCE. Rupp Jr.’s collection also included a PSA 8 graded 1953 Topps Willie Mays card, which sold for $186,000.
In addition, the auction presented several unopened boxes from a recently discovered collection acquired at the end of the previous year. These boxes attracted significant attention, with a 1970 Topps Baseball 6th series cello box breaking records with a sale of $105,000. A 1968 Topps Football 1st series 36-pack cello box set a new benchmark at $99,000, and a 1973 Topps Baseball 3rd series 500-count vending box fetched $18,600. With more items from this collection set to be sold in the coming months, expectations are high for sales to reach seven figures.
The auction also showcased nearly two dozen vintage autographed cards, collected by Mike Greenbaum during their time of origin, which generated significant interest. One standout was a 1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson card, graded 1.5 with an autograph grade of 8, leading the pack with a sale price of $117,000. A similarly graded signed Roy Campanella card from the same set fetched $69,000.
Among individual card sales, a PSA 6 graded T206 Ty Cobb Green portrait, featuring a Piedmont advertising back, sold for $105,000. A 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle card, graded PSA 9, reached $80,533, while a 1962 Topps Manager’s Dream card, showcasing both Mantle and Mays, sold for $75,000.
Complete sets were also available for purchase, with the highest-rated set of 1909-1912 Colgan’s chips discs selling for $54,000. The 16th ranked 1969-70 Topps Basketball set garnered $93,000, and an all-PSA 8 graded 1952 Bowman baseball set was acquired for $84,000, underscoring the auction’s diverse and valuable selections.
Heritage Auctions’ Winter Sports Card Auction proved to be a record-breaking event, attracting bidders from around the world. With the premiere Babe Ruth rookie card and the Gem Mint Michael Jordan rookie card leading the way, collectors and investors eagerly participated in the historic sale, cementing these cards’ status as highly coveted pieces in the sports card market.
