It used to be a no-no.
“You have a nice rookie card and you want the guy to sign it? It will ruin the value! ”
Such was the attitude of the old school hobby.
Years later, it turned out that those who made Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams sign some of their earliest cards were the smart ones. Autographed rookie cards, especially those of some of the all-time sports greats, have a hefty premium. Interest has increased significantly in recent years as more and more collectors enter this segment of the hobby. In addition to deceased greats, signed rookie cards of living icons are also in demand.
Among the headliners of the upcoming Heritage Auctions Monthly Showcase Auction is a collection of several high quality signed sports tickets. Among them is a rookie card from Topps Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) from 1969-70 with his well-known signature “Abdul-Jabbar” and seven handwritten inscriptions of the NBA’s top scorer, showing his pro and college achievements highlight.
With Beckett’s authentication, it is expected to sell for at least $ 6,000.
One of the most popular basketball cards on the market right now is the Magic Johnson / Larry Bird Rookie card from 1980-81 Topps – one that also included Julius Erving. The Heritage auction will include a copy of all three signed in Sharpie with an autograph score of 10. It is expected to raise at least $ 5,000.
Another multi-autograph card in the auction is a 2001 Topps Traded Gold from rookies Albert Pujols and Ichiro.
Others to be won when the auction opens next week include a 1983 Topps card from the late Tony Gwynn and a pair of signed Ken Griffey Jr. cards: his 1989 Upper Deck and 1987 Bellingham Mariners Minor League card of 10 each Autograph levels.
The auction will take place from April 1st to 15th.
about Rich Mueller
Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. He has been a broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer. Usually he writes something somewhere. Tip it back at [email protected]
Comments are closed.