Memory Lane’s Winter Rarities Auction kicked off the year with a bang, raking in an impressive total of over $7.1 million in sales. The auction, a haven for vintage sports cards and memorabilia enthusiasts, saw a flurry of bidding activity from collectors worldwide.
Babe Ruth stole the show at the auction, commanding top dollar for his iconic cards. Three 1933 Goudey cards, all graded PSA NM/MT 8, fetched a combined total of nearly $700,000. Among them, the #149 card with a striking red background stood out, selling for an astonishing $316,736. An exceptionally rare advertising card from around 1920, featuring Ruth and Carl Mays and graded SGC 3, ignited a fierce bidding war before ultimately fetching $95,860. Other notable Ruth items included a 1921 E253 Oxford Confectionery card graded PSA 5, selling for $52,102, and a 1932 U.S. Caramel card graded PSA 6.5, which brought in $48,508.
Joe Jackson’s 1915 Cracker Jack #103 card, graded PSA 7, also made waves by setting a new record for its grade, commanding a hefty $173,794. The card was part of a set break that collectively amassed over $850,000 in sales.
1952 Topps favorites proved to be crowd-pleasers, with three PSA 8 graded cards breaching the six-figure mark. An Eddie Mathews high-number card led the pack at $123,484, closely followed by Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays cards that saw substantial bids.
Mickey Mantle cards maintained their allure with collectors, with a rare 1959 Bazooka card graded PSA 6 selling for $33,586. A complete 1959 Bazooka box with a Mantle back, graded PSA 1, fetched $18,575. Four PSA 10 Bazooka Mantle cards from various years collectively amassed close to $50,000. Standout Mantle pieces included a 1953 Topps PSA 7 NM card at $29,012, a 1956 Topps Gray Back PSA 8.5 at $38,879, and a 1966 O-Pee-Chee Mantle SGC 9 at $16,886.
Other baseball and multi-sport highlights included a 1957 Topps Willie Mays PSA 9 card at $58,961, a 1957 Topps Whitey Ford PSA 10 card at $56,153, and a 1965-66 Topps Phil Esposito rookie card graded PSA 10, which garnered $72,455 for hockey enthusiasts. Football saw notable sales such as the 1964 Topps Bobby Bell rookie PSA 10 at $31,558, the 1964 Philadelphia Merlin Olsen rookie PSA 10 at $19,018, and the 1973 Topps Art Shell rookie PSA 10 at $20,432.
In addition to cards, the auction also featured unique memorabilia finds that caught the eye of collectors, including a Ty Cobb tobacco tin from the 1910s at $30,463, a Mickey Mantle single-signed baseball with a rare “#6” inscription at $20,934, a handwritten letter from Mantle’s 1951 rookie season also at $20,934, and a Joe Jackson Louisville Slugger decal bat from the early 1900s fetching $16,121.
Memory Lane’s Winter Rarities Auction undeniably set a high standard for 2025, with record-breaking sales and a treasure trove of exceptional items that left collectors eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to add pieces of sports history to their collections.
