Record-breaking prices power May Heritage Sports auction to $8.3 million tally

The hobby shows continued strength as Heritage drops gavel on $18M+ in sales in just 90 days

DALLAS, TX — After the most important sports collectibles auction of the 21^st century commanded nearly $10M on a snowy February 2015 Platinum Night in Manhattan, Heritage Auctions' Sports continued its impressive run in Dallas, May 14-16, 2015, with its $8.3 million Sports Catalog Auction.

The three-day, extended-bidding format auction stunned hobby veterans as a deluge of world record prices was realized. Another record set in the auction by Heritage, the hobby's largest sports auction firm, as more than 1,000 different bidders were winners in the three-day event.

"Years in the auction business has taught us to expect the unexpected," said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, "but this auction provided results that soared past even our most optimistic predictions."

The Trading Card session on Thursday, May 14, accounted for more than $4 million of the auction total, upending conventional pricing wisdom across the full spectrum, from a $35,850 result for a PSA EX 5 example of Honus Wagner's 1911 M110 Sporting Life to the highest figure ever paid — $10,755 final price realized — for a card from the 1984 Topps USFL issue: $10,755 for a PSA Gem Mint 10 Reggie White.

The great Bambino took top honors for the evening; his 1916 D329 Weil Baking card ins SGC 60 EX 5 condition realized $89,625. Fellow New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle broke the record for PSA NM 7 examples of his 1951 Bowman rookie, drawing a winning tally of $20,315, while Strikeout King Nolan Ryan blew away all past challengers with $11,353 for a PSA Gem Mint 10 specimen of his 1974 Topps representation.


The Memorabilia session on Friday, May 15, capitalized on the strong momentum from the day before, setting new auction highs across a wide realm of sports and formats: A rare oversized New York Yankees nodder drew a winning bid of $59,750. The finest known example of a 1978 Super Bowl XII full ticket outpaced its $30 face value by a factor of 1000, dropping the hammer at $31,070. That price was matched by a 1921 Exhibit Card autographed by Babe Ruth.


Three Olympic Gold Medals won by American swimmer Brooke Bennett saw an international field of collectors drive prices past $80,000.

"There's no question that our global reach is the key factor in our long history of Olympic pricing records," said Ivy.

Further highlights include, but are not limited to:

1958 Topps Bob Clemente, White Letters #52 PSA Gem Mint 10 - The Finest Example Known to the Hobby: Realized $40,630

1986 Fleer Basketball Wax Box With 36 PSA Graded Packs: Realized $33,460

1979-86 Julius Erving Game Worn Philadelphia 76ers Jersey, MEARS A10: Realized $31,070

1936 Green Bay Packers NFL Championship Gold Watch Presented to Hall of Famer Clarke Hinkle: Realized $28,680

1980 Roberto Duran Championship Fight Worn Trunks from Sugar Ray Leonard I Bout: Realized: $26,290

1888 N162 Goodwin Champions Cap Anson/Baseball PSA NM 7: Realized $26,290

1914 Cracker Jack Del Pratt #93 PSA VG-EX 4: Realized $23,900

1934 Tour of Japan Team Signed Baseballs – both the American and Japanese Teams: Realized $22,705


1909-11 E90-1 American Caramel Cy Young/Boston PSA NM 7 – The Highest Graded Example: Realized $22,705

1959 Topps Mickey Mantle #10 SGC 96 Mint 9 - The Reigning SGC Champion: Realized $22,705

1957 Topps Bill Russell #77 PSA NM-MT 8: Realized $20,315

1944-55 Sugar Ray Robinson & Jake LaMotta Fight Broadsides/Posters Lot of 4: Realized $19,120


1933 Goudey Sport Kings Roscoe Turner #27 PSA MINT 9 – Population One, The Highest Graded Example: Realized $15,535

1947 Ebbets Field Opening Day Ticket Stub – debut of Jackie Robinson: Realized $16,730

Signed 1970 Topps Pete Maravich #123 PSA EX-MT 6: Realized $8,963