- On 50th anniversary of Clemente being first Latin American player inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame, 1955 Topps rookie is auction’s top item
- Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax cards both exceed $300K
- First 1932 U.S. Caramel Babe Ruth PSA 8 to sell 10+ years nearly triples previous record
- 13 total items exceed $100K in $14+ million Spring Auction
Chester, NJ - April 24, 2023 - Robert Edward Auctions (“REA”), the premier auction house specializing in sports memorabilia and trading cards in the US, closed its Spring Catalog Auction on Sunday night with multiple six-figure sales, most notably a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie graded PSA 9 that sold for $960,000 during the year in which the 50th anniversary of his Baseball Hall of Fame induction as the first Latin American player is celebrated. A Sandy Koufax rookie from the same set, also graded PSA 9, sold for $384,000, only one bid shy of becoming the highest-selling Topps Koufax rookie of all-time. Jackie Robinson’s 1949 Bowman graded PSA 9 sold for $348,000, making it only the third example of this card to ever surpass $340,000. The auction was also highlighted by the sale of a 1932 U.S. Caramel Babe Ruth PSA 8 at $210,000, which nearly tripled the previous record and marked the first sale in this grade in more than a decade.
REA’s Spring Auction, which ran from April 6 to 23, generated a total of $14.7 million with more than 98,000 bids placed by a record number of first time and total bidders.
1932 U.S. Caramel #32 Babe Ruth PSA NM-MT 8
In addition to seven single cards exceeding the $100,000 mark, REA’s Spring Auction featured several other notable memorabilia items, including an original 1940s Josh Gibson Type 1 photograph used for his 1950-1951 Toleteros rookie card, which sold for $150,000, as well as a circa 1913 Type 1 Charles Conlon photograph of Shoeless Joe Jackson, which sold for $132,000. Meanwhile, a 1986-1987 Fleer Basketball PSA GEM MINT 10 complete set (missing only Jordan) sold for $168,000.
REA also had three unopened boxes that sold for more than $100,000:
- 1959 Topps Fourth Series Unopened Cello Box (36 Packs) - BBCE - Banks, Two Kaline, and N.L. Hitting Kings with Mays Showing - $186,000
- Extremely Rare 1971 Topps Fourth Series Baseball Unopened Wax Box (24 Packs) - BBCE - $144,000
- Extremely Rare 1970-1971 Topps Basketball Second Series Unopened Wax Box (24 Packs) - BBCE - Pete Maravich Rookie Year - $108,000
This Josh Gibson original Type 1 photo from the 1940s sold for $150,000 and was the top-selling photograph in REA's Spring Auction
Other top-selling cards, packs and sets in REA’s Spring Auction included:
- 1953 Topps #1 Jackie Robinson PSA MINT 9 - $180,000
- 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie PSA GOOD+ 2.5 - $126,000
- 1939 R334 Play Ball #26 Joe DiMaggio PSA MINT 9 - Highest Graded - $102,000
- 1956 Topps Baseball PSA NM-MT 8 Complete Set (340 Plus Two Checklists) - #24 PSA Set Registry (8.00 GPA) - $90,000
- 1924-1925 Aguilitas Cigars Second Series #869 Oscar Charleston SGC VG+ 3.5 - $81,000
- 1952 Topps Unopened Five-Cent Wax Pack PSA EX 5 - $75,000
- 1963 Topps PSA-Graded Complete Master Set (583) - #13 PSA Set Registry (8.00 GPA) - $72,000
- 1909 T204 Ramly Tobacco Walter Johnson SGC MINT 9 (Nagy Collection) - 1 of 1 - Highest Graded - $69,000
- 1954 Topps PSA-Graded Complete Set (250) - #29 PSA Set Registry (7.07 GPA) - $57,600
- 1976 Topps Football #148 Walter Payton Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10 - $55,200
- 1969-1970 Topps Basketball PSA NM-MT 8 Complete Set (99) - #21 PSA Set Registry (8.00 GPA) - $55,200
- 1957-1958 Topps Basketball #77 Bill Russell Rookie PSA NM+ 7.5 - $55,200
- 1909-1911 T206 White Border Walter Johnson Portrait PSA VG 3 - Old Mill Back - 1 of 1 - Highest Graded - $50,400
- 1948-1949 Leaf #8 Satchel Paige Rookie Short Print PSA EX-MT 6 - $50,400
1986-1987 Fleer Basketball PSA GEM MINT 10 Full Set (minus the Jordan rookie) sold for $168,000
“This was a tremendous auction and will go down as one of the most successful auctions in REA’s thirty-plus year history,” said Brian Dwyer, President of REA. “It’s very exciting to see such a strong interest across multiple areas of our growing hobby. This auction was marked by record engagement, and while vintage cards continue to generate strong results, I’m delighted to see such a strong and growing market for areas like original photography and unopened boxes and packs.”
REA’s upcoming auction schedule is as follows:
- May 1 - Deadline to Consign For Inclusion in May Encore Auction
- May 11-21 - May Encore Auction
- May 19 - Deadline to Consign Memorabilia, Autographs, Unopened Material, and Ungraded Cards to Summer Catalog Auction
- June 1 - Deadline to Consign For Inclusion in June Encore Auction
- June 5 - Deadline to Consign Graded Cards For Inclusion in Summer Catalog Auction
- June 8-18 - June Encore Auction
- July 24-August 13 - Summer Catalog Auction
To consign in any of REA’s upcoming auctions, please contact [email protected]. If you’d like to register to bid or request one of our future catalogs, visit https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com/user/register.
You can also read REA’s consignor stories from previous and upcoming REA auctions.
About Robert Edward Auctions
Robert Edward Auctions (REA) is one of the leading auction houses in the US specializing in sports and non-sports cards and memorabilia. For more than 30 years, REA has established a reputation as the industry benchmark through its unparalleled and unwavering commitment to integrity, knowledge and transparency. The Company has brokered some of the most lucrative sales and handled some of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia in the hobby’s history, including the record-setting sale of the extremely desirable T206 Honus Wagner card for $6.6 million in August 2021. For more information, visit https://robertedwardauctions.com/ and follow REA on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. You can also contact us and request our auction catalog by emailing [email protected].
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