New York, New York – Sotheby’s and SCP Auctions, the sports auction house, have together set the standard for live sports auctions, having now partnered in four landmark live sales of important sports memorabilia and cards. These auctions have consistently set pricing records for high-end items – achieving average per lot prices in excess of $10,000. In an effort to expand upon this success and serve more buyers and sellers across the entire breadth of the market, the Sotheby’s/SCP partnership has implemented an equally powerful internet-only auction platform that serves as an ideal complement to their annual live events. Following the highly successful inaugural internet auction in May 2006, the distinguished partnership is prepared to launch its second Internet auction which will run from November 14-30th, 2006 at www.scpauctions.com.
The auction will feature over 750 lots of important sports memorabilia and cards, with a diverse selection of material that will appeal to all ranges of collectors from beginners to the most advanced hobbyists.
Cards from nearly every vintage baseball issue ever produced, including 19th Century, early tobacco cards, Goudeys, Play Balls, early Topps, and early Bowmans, will be included in the form of Sets, Singles, and Group Lots. Highlighting the card offerings is what Sotheby’s/SCP has dubbed “The New York City Find” of High-Grade T206s. Each of the 98 individual cards was recently discovered as part of a cache of T206s found together in New York City. The condition of the group is nothing short of extraordinary, having defied the typical ravages of admiring hands and adverse elements of nature. Each of these cards was graded and encapsulated by PSA recently and is being offered for the first time publicly. Significant high-grade Hall of Famers and “low pop” condition rarities abound. Also featured in the sale is another recent discovery that will attract the interest of PCL and type collectors. A fresh group of 20 high-grade Obak T4 “cabinet” premiums will be offered on an individual basis including a stellar example of the key, Buck Weaver. The extreme scarcity of T4s is such that most large auctions rarely include a single specimen. Prior to the discovery of these 20 examples, there were only 61 different T4s that had been catalogued. Of this group of 20, nine are previously unknown, and will soon take the number of catalogued examples to 70.
Other Pre-War Card Highlights Include:
— 1914 Cracker Jack #30 Ty Cobb PSA 8 NM-MT
— 1916 M101-4 Gimbels Babe Ruth Rookie PSA 5 EX
— Rare 1921 Frederick Foto Services Babe Ruth SGC 10
— 1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig PSA 9 MINT
— 1933 Goudey #106 Nap Lajoie PSA 9 MINT
— 1933 Goudey #144 Babe Ruth PSA 8 NM-MT
A large number of post-war single cards, sets and quality group lots should satisfy the whims of every type of collector within the genre. Among the marquis lots from this category is a 1948-49 Leaf Baseball Graded Near Set (98/100) that ranks as the Third Finest on PSA’s Set Registry. In 1948 the Leaf Gum Company of Chicago produced the first set of color baseball cards issued after World War II. The series is numbered 1 through 168 with many gaps in the sequence. Fully half of the set was “short-printed”, and numerous print and color variations contribute to the challenge posed to set builders. To many collectors, the complexities of Leaf’s 1948-49 baseball issue are also part of its charm. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of the offered near set is PSA graded NM 7 or better.
Other Post-War Card Highlights Include:
— 1950 Bowman #22 Jackie Robinson PSA 9 MINT
— 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie SGC 84 NM
— 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle PSA 5 EX
— 1957 Topps #1 Ted Williams PSA 9 MINT
— 1957 Topps #95 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 MINT
— 1962 Topps #5 Sandy Koufax PSA 9 MINT
— 1974 Topps Deckle Edge Baseball Near Set (65/72)-Over 1/2 PSA 9 MINT
As per usual in any Sotheby’s/SCP auction event, “The Sultan of Swat”, Babe Ruth always looms large. Ruth is well represented in this Internet Auction with a vast array of items that range from nearly every type of autographed item imaginable to more unusual artifacts such as a 1915 Boston Red Sox Team Real Photo Postcard Featuring Babe Ruth as a Rookie (EX – Copeland) and a Rare Circa 1921 Pathe’ Freres Phonograph Premium picturing Ruth.
Other Babe Ruth Memorabilia Highlights Include:
— Stunning Babe Ruth Autographed Baseball
— Baseball Signed by Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig Four Days After The 1927 World Series
— Babe Ruth Single Signed Ruth Model Bat, Circa 1933
— Unique Finished Proof Photo and Original Un-retouched Proof Photo for Un-issued 1935 Goudey R309-2 Babe Ruth Premium
— Babe Ruth Signed Baseball Glove With Original Photo of Ruth Signing
— Babe Ruth Oversized (17” by 21”) Signed Photograph
Beyond the Babe is an array of Vintage Autographs that includes items from the likes of Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers, etc. Game Used Items include an exceptionally scarce 1937 Luke Appling Chicago White Sox Home Jersey and Gil Hodges Game Worn Road Jersey from the New York Mets Inaugural season of 1962. Awards, Pennants, Advertising Pieces, Tickets, and Programs are also not to be missed.
Other Memorabilia Highlights Include:
— Final Out Baseball From 1909 World Series Game 6 (Pittsburgh vs. Detroit)
— Baseball Signed by Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb
— 1934 Tour of Japan Presentation Album with Team Signed Sheets
— Harmon Killebrew 1969 Game Used First Baseman’s Glove (LOA from Killebrew)
— 1975 World Series Game 6 Line Up Cards (Carlton Fisk’s Historic Game Winning Home Run)
— Wilt Chamberlain’s Retired #13 Jersey That Hung in The Great Westen Forum
— 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers Championship Banner That Hung In the Great Western Forum
Each of the 750-plus items will be featured in Sotheby’s/SCP Auctions full color catalog as well as on the SCP Auctions website at www.SCPAuctions.com. The auction will be open to registered bidders on November 14th and will culminate on November 30th, 2006. Call (800) 350-2273 for more information on how to participate.