Hold onto your baseball caps, folks—it’s time to celebrate because Willie Mays just hit another home run! The 1951 Bowman Willie Mays rookie card has taken the sports memorabilia world by storm, shattering records with a mind-blowing sale price of $390,935 at Robert Edward Auctions’ Summer Catalog Auction. Talk about a grand slam in the world of collectibles!
This legendary card, the highest-graded example to grace the auction block in over 15 years, attracted intense bidding wars. Eleven determined bidders stepped up to the plate, each trying to snag this coveted cardboard treasure. With no PSA 10 Mays rookie cards known to exist and only eight in a PSA 9 condition, it’s no surprise that collectors went wild for this rare find.
To put this into perspective, a PSA 8 version of the same Mays card sold for $207,400 just last week at Goldin Auctions. Clearly, the demand for Mays’ rookie cards is hotter than a summer day at the ballpark!
And in a heartwarming twist, the proceeds from this historic sale are going towards funding a college scholarship endowment. This means that not only did this card make history, but it’s also paving the way for a brighter future. Talk about a win-win situation!
The Summer Catalog Auction was a monumental success in its own right, raking in over $13.3 million from more than 82,000 bids spread across nearly 3,200 lots. Thirteen items surpassed the six-figure milestone, with highlights including a 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie PSA 4.5 that set a new record by selling for $162,000—the highest price ever achieved for that grade.
Among the standout sales were an autographed 1949 Bowman Roy Campanella rookie (PSA 3) with a PSA 9 signature grade, fetching $132,000, and a 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card (PSA 7 with a 7 autograph rating) that netted $120,000.
Not to be outshone, a 1936-1937 Dizzy Dean St. Louis Cardinals game-used road jersey scored a cool $114,000, setting a new benchmark for Dizzy Dean memorabilia.
In addition to these remarkable sales, a variety of other valuable items found new homes, including the following:
– 1933 R338 Sport Kings #2 Babe Ruth PSA NM-MT 8 – $120,000
– 1915 Boston Red Sox Real-Photo Team Postcard with Babe Ruth Rookie – $114,000
– 1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson Rookie PSA GEM MINT 10 – $111,000
– 1909-1911 T206 White Border Cy Young Glove Shows PSA EX+ 5.5 (Broad Leaf 460 Back) – $111,000
– 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee Hockey #18 Wayne Gretzky Rookie PSA MINT 9 – $105,000
– 1914 E145 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson SGC GOOD+ 2.5 – $102,000 (record for SGC grade)
– 1933 V353 World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey #80 Babe Ruth PSA NM 7 – $96,000 (record for the card)
– 1984-1985 Star Company Basketball #101 Michael Jordan Rookie BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 – $52,800 (record for Beckett grade)
Brian Dwyer, President of REA, shared his excitement about the auction’s success, stating, “This auction was a blast from start to finish, with new record prices being set left and right. We’re incredibly grateful to the consignors who trusted us with these amazing items and to the bidders who made this another record-breaking auction for us.”
If you missed out on this thrilling event, fear not—mark your calendars for REA’s next big auction, the September Encore Auction, scheduled to run from September 12-22. Be prepared for more excitement and record-breaking bids as the action continues!
