Prices Soar and Records Fall in Mile High Card Company March 2015 Auction as Ruth rookie card passes $90,000 mark.
Centennial, CO – While every Mile High Card Company auction seems to set new standards in prices realized, the just completed March 19th event brought about some staggering results that have raised the bar in the sports card and memorabilia market. “We’re incredibly pleased with the overall results of the auction and presume it is an indicator that our industry is entering a bull market. The Goudeys and 1961 Topps card brought in some monstrous prices, and the Namath card … wow!” said CEO and President Brian Drent.
Wow is an understatement as the 1965 Topps Joe Namath PSA 8 rookie card sold for $22,394, almost double the previous record set in the December 2014 MHCC auction. Joe Montana’s PSA 10 graded 1981 Topps rookie card pushed past its previous high, also in the December 2014 MHCC auction, with a winning bid just under $15,000. Of course, the centerpiece of this fantastic auction was the M101-4 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie card graded EX, which sold for $90,053. Just four months ago the same card sold for $77,675 by another auction house, which certainly brought smiles to the crew from the Mile High City.
If there was still any belief that high-grade 1961 Topps cards were “easy,” MHCC’s March Auction sure put that to rest! A break-up of the #2 PSA Set Registry rated collection yielded a cumulative total of $161,258 with spectacular and often record-destroying results: #300 Mickey Mantle PSA 9 - $7,375, #133 Ralph Houk PSA 9 - $4,872, #405 Gehrig Benched PSA 10 - $4,316, #2 Maris PSA 9 - $4,161, #160 Whitey Ford PSA 9 - $3,993, #484 Aaron MVP PSA 10 - $3,630, #260 Drysdale PSA 10 - $3,567, #138 Murtaugh PSA 9 - $3,325, #581 Frank Robinson All-Star PSA 10 - $3,242, #559 Jim Gentile PSA 9 - $3,022, and #563 Bob Cerv PSA 9 - $3,000. The break-up of a top-10 rated 1933 Goudey collection produced similarly successful results with both PSA 8 Babe Ruth cards (#144 and 181) realizing at or near record sale prices of $28,880 and Ruth’s PSA 7 #53 and #149 earning new top prices of $27,505 and $24,366 respectively. Card #25 Paul Waner nearly doubled its previous PSA 8 record with a price of $8,726 and #235 Fred Fitzsimmons PSA 9, a card that previously sold for a high of just over $3,300 in 2012, brought in the staggering sum of $9,422.
Other incredible pieces that re-wrote the record books for prices realized include a 1910 Tip Top Bread Honus Wagner PSA 5 at $42,039 (nearly $13,000 over its last sale), 1912 T227 Series of Champions Ty Cobb PSA 6 at $21,048, 1968 Topps 3-D Boog Powell – Stamped Reverse PSA 9 at $13,721 (last sale was $4,500) and an 1895 Mayo Cut Plug Ed Delahanty EX/NM at $12,299. Two extraordinary 20th century baseball pin sets were offered and performed admirably: a 1909-12 Sweet Caporal pin set, ranked #2 on PSA’s Set Registry sold for $24,579 and the #1 PSA ranked Domino Disc set from the same time period sold for $21,226. Also, the #2 PSA ranked 1955 Topps Rails and Sails complete set brought in a strong $19,567.
Once again, the staff at Mile High Card Company would like to thank all of our bidders and consignors for participating in this history-making event. The entire list of prices realized is available on our website at
Mile High Card Company We are actively seeking consignments, so if you desire the maximum possible return for your prized sports cards and/or memorabilia, please call our office at (303) 840-2784 to speak with one of our team of experts. We’re looking forward to making our June auction a sensational event for all of our loyal bidders and consignors!