20 1933 Worch Cigar Babe Ruth (HOF) - PSA VG 3 Issued by the Worch Cigar Company of St. Paul, MN, this rare postcard-sized issue utilized photos which appeared in the Minneapolis Star and St. Paul Dispatch newspapers. Though the cards do not mention the Worch company anywhere on them, they were distributed by mail in Worch Cigar envelopes. The cards are found in multiple styles, which player names either printed or on the background, with or without team name, in a white or black box. The Ruth card is, of course, unquestionably the key to the issue, an incredibly rare and desirable card. This example, graded VG 3 by PSA, boasts a crisp, clean image of the Yankees superstar, well-centered within its white borders, a slight bit of honest wear visible at each corner and along the edges. The reverse exhibits some mild toning and discoloration related to age, some minor foxing visible as well. As Ruth card values continue to rise, this represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of the more rare and highly sought-after cards issued of The Babe, one of just four of this “name and team in box” version graded by PSA. MINIMUM BID: $2,000.00
21 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle (HOF) - PSA PR 1 (MK) When describing the overuse of the term “iconic” in auction descriptions, the 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle is typically the first example given. “Iconic” is used so often to describe cards that it no longer effectively describes this one, easily the most popular and significant postwar baseball card, and one that is so often the face of our entire hobby. While virtually every collector can recognize a 1952 Mantle with a single glance, it is the near-instant recognition among people outs ide the hobby that makes this card so important. It is a card that virtually anyone with even a passing knowledge of baseball would be pleased to own, the single card that stops non-hobby collectors in their tracks when it is positioned in the middle of our display case of 19th Century rarities at card shows. It is an object of desire among hobbyists, casual investors, and collectors of Americana alike. Despite the lack of scarcity, it is an example of a card where supply will never, ever outpace demand. This particular example is an interesting one. Well-centered with strong color, a faint
but visible vertical crease and some very mild discoloration at the lower borders lead one to comment “that’s an awfully nice 1.” Flipping the card over and examining the reverse yields the cause of the grade; a combination of paper loss and paper remnants from long-ago scrapbook removal have created condition flaws that only a PR grade can describe. The superfluous “MK” qualifier is the result of a youngster marking the top reverse of the card with Mantle’s uniform number 7 in pencil. An excellent and affordable ‘52 Mantle, with most of the condition issues restricted to the back. MINIMUM BID: $2,000.00
Fall 2018 Premier Auction – Closes November 24, 2018
26
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter