Blockbuster mid-year event led by high-grade rookies of Mays, Jeter & Gretzky
Chester, NJ - July 23, 2024 - REA’s loaded Summer Catalog Auction opens today and includes nearly 3,200 items ranging from some of the hobby’s most esteemed modern and vintage cards to unique game-worn memorabilia and unopened material. The event is led by an exceptional 1951 Bowman #305 Willie Mays rookie PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 (Lot 1), the highest PSA-graded example to sell at auction in more than fifteen years. Additionally, the T206 series has a strong presence in this event, including two extremely rare Broad Leaf 460 advertising back examples - the fourth rarest advertisement in the series - of two key Hall of Famers: Cy Young (Lot 5) and Christy Mathewson (Lot 6). The former is the only example of this front/back combination graded by PSA while the latter is the only example of this front/back combination graded at this level by PSA with none higher. There’s also a meticulously-assembled T206 near-complete set that includes 518 of the 524 cards and is ranked #25 on the PSA Set Registry (Lot 9).
The auction also boasts an array of vintage and modern cards and memorabilia from non-baseball sports, including high-grade classics such as a 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie PSA MINT 9 (Lot 2) and a 1969-1970 Topps Basketball #25 Lew Alcindor Rookie SGC MINT 9 (Lot 2690) to a 2021 Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals signed game-used road jersey (Lot 2689) that’s been photomatched and includes a direct team provenance.
Non-sport collectors will also have plenty of premium options, starting with a 1982 Time Magazine cover signed by Steve Jobs (Lot 2929), six George Barris original Type I photos of Marilyn Monroe from her final photo shoot in 1962 (Lots 2918-2923), and a 1984 Michael Jackson personally owned black fedora (Lot 2924).
The auction runs through Sunday, August 11. All initial bids must be placed by 9 PM ET in order to qualify for extended bidding.
Other notable items in REA’s Summer Catalog Auction include:
Lot 3 - 1933 R338 Sport Kings #2 Babe Ruth PSA NM-MT 8 - A spectacular ultra-high-grade example of one of the 1930s' most classic cards with only three examples graded higher out of 602 cards evaluated by PSA to date
Lot 10 - 1914 E145 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson SGC GOOD+ 2.5 - A stunning example presenting at a higher level than its technical grade
Lot 11 - Extremely Rare 1921 Asahina Sporting Goods Postcard Babe Ruth PSA GOOD 2 - 1 of 1 - Highest Graded! - To the best of our knowledge, this is one of only two surviving examples of this postcard, making it one of the most elusive of all Babe Ruth promotional pieces
Lot 14 - 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10 - Of the 37,193 examples of this card submitted to PSA, only 26 have been assigned this top grade of GEM MINT
Lot 15 - 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil #279 Derek Jeter SGC GEM MINT 10 - Of the 4,712 Derek Jeter rookie cards submitted to SGC from the 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil set, only four have been assigned this top grade
Lot 18 - 1961-1962 Fleer Basketball #36 Oscar Robertson Rookie PSA MINT 9 - With only one example ever graded higher out of 1,507 cards evaluated by PSA, this is an exceptional example of Cincinnati Royals Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson’s rookie card from the classic 1961-1962 Fleer basketball set
Lot 1581 - 1962 Topps #200 Mickey Mantle PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 - The key card from the 1962 Topps set and issued during Mantle’s third and final MVP season
Lot 2486 - 1936-1937 Dizzy Dean St. Louis Cardinals Game-Used Road Jersey MEARS A9 - This newly discovered example was worn by Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean who was a key part of the St. Louis Cardinals “Gashouse Gang” and a pivotal part of the team’s 1934 World Series championship
Lot 2544 - 2001 Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners Signed Game-Used Rookie Road Jersey - MEARS A10 - Jersey worn by future Hall of Fame outfielder Ichiro Suzuki during his 2001 rookie season in which he won both the Rookie of the Year and American League MVP Awards
Lot 2641 - 1965 Topps Football #122 Joe Namath Rookie PSA NM-MT 8 - Exceptional example of one of football-card collecting's great classics
Lot 2661 - 1981 Topps Football #216 Joe Montana Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10 - Pristine example of the four-time Super Bowl champion and a gem with outstanding centering, four sharp corners, crisp white borders, and a flawless image
Lot 2798 - 1966-1967 Topps Hockey #35 Bobby Orr Rookie PSA NM-MT 8 - Only two examples grade higher out of 1,389 cards evaluated by PSA to date of the Boston Bruins Hall of Famer
Notable Registry Sets
The REA Summer Auction is packed with complete sets, including numerous top registry sets, led by a 1956 Topps Baseball complete set ranked #20 on the PSA Set Registry with an 8.02 GPA (Lot 17) and a 1960 Topps complete set ranked #17 on the PSA Set Registry with an 8.08 GPA. There’s also a 1954-1955 Topps Hockey complete set that has a PSA Set Registry ranking of #11 on along with a 7.92 GPA (Lot 2797), and a 1972 Topps Football complete set with an 8.85 GPA and a PSA Set Registry ranking of #6 (Lot 2660).
“It’s been a very exciting few months putting this loaded event together and working closely with all of our consignors who have brought some tremendous pieces that we’re excited to present to the hobby, many for the very first time,” said Brian Dwyer, President of REA. “There’s a lot of anticipation ahead of this year’s National especially after last year’s record-setting event, and we’re looking forward to interacting with everyone this week in Cleveland.”
REA will have a large contingent of its Summer Auction displayed at The National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland this week. The company is at booth #6032 in the Corporate Section. Visitors will have a chance to win $500 in auction credit and can pick up a complementary copy of REA’s annual magazine Hobby Intricacies by stopping by the booth.
To register to bid, visit https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com/user/register. You can request a Summer Catalog by reaching out via the REA website.
You can also review REA’s upcoming auction schedule and read about different consignor stories from previous and upcoming REA events.
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