Vintage Sports Cards
1952 Topps Jackie Robinson PSA 8.5
This iconic Jackie Robinson 1952 Topps graded PSA 8.5 is considered one of Jackie's best-looking cards in one of the hobby's most important issues. There are only 11 copies graded higher by PSA. The 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson is the first Topps card issued of the immortal Brooklyn second baseman, making it one of the most desired cards, behind Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps, in arguably the most iconic sets in collecting history. Jackie Robinson is not just a baseball hero, but an American hero. As a pioneer who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, his name became synonymous with the fight for Civil Rights. Jackie’s jersey number 42 is retired by all MLB teams. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8
This 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 is considered the most important baseball card in the entire industry and the symbol of baseball card collecting. It is the most significant card of one of the most collectible and investable athletes of all time. In the words of PSA, the industry's leading grading agency, "if there were a Mount Rushmore of cards and it was limited to one spot, this card would get it every time." Mickey Mantle, nicknamed “The Mick”, was the linchpin of the New York Yankees epic dynasty during the 1950s and early 1960s. He won 7 World Series Championships, 3 MVP awards and was selected to 20 All-Star games. His journey from humble origins to centerfielder for the New York Yankees is the American Dream.
1955 Topps Sandy Koufax PSA 9
This 1955 Topps card is one of the most visually captivating baseball cards ever made, and regarded as the Sandy Koufax rookie card to own. Featuring a youthful but deceptively innocent-looking Koufax, the card is renowned as one of the key assets in an iconic 1955 Topps baseball set. There are only 25 Koufax 1955 Topps PSA 9's in existence (and only 3 examples of this card graded higher in circulation). Sandy Koufax is considered one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in baseball history. He was the first Major League pitcher to pitch four no-hitters, and the eighth to pitch a perfect game. Koufax, at age 36 in 1972, became the youngest player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Koufax is also one of the outstanding Jewish athletes in American sports history, remembered for his decision not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.
1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain PSA 9
This Wilt Chamberlain 1961 Fleer rookie card is, according to PSA, "the only recognized rookie card of the most dominant basketball player to ever play the game”. Graded Mint 9 by PSA, there are only 3 copies graded higher. In the opinion of Heritage Auctions "[Chamberlain's] rookie card is arguably one of the top two most important cards in the basketball hobby." "The Big Dipper" is unquestionably one of the greatest basketball players to ever play - he is the only player to score 4,000 points in a season - and his legacy only gets stronger. Chamberlain’s dominance is evident in his numbers: he averaged 50.4 points per game during the ‘61-‘62 season, holds the record for most points in a single game with 100, the record for most rebounds in a single game with 55 and led the league in scoring 7 times and rebounding 11 times.
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 7
This 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 is considered the most important baseball card in the entire industry, and the symbol of baseball card collecting. It is the most significant card of one of the most collectible and investable athletes of all time. In the words of PSA, the industry's leading grading agency, "if there were a Mount Rushmore of cards and it was limited to one spot, this card would get it every time." There are only 76 PSA 7 Mantle 1952 Topps cards, and only 44 copies graded higher, excluding qualifiers. Mickey Mantle, nicknamed “The Mick”, was the linchpin of the New York Yankees epic dynasty during the 1950s and early 1960s. He won 7 World Series Championships, 3 MVP awards and was selected to 20 All-Star games. His journey from humble origins to centerfielder for the New York Yankees is the American Dream.
T206 Eddie Plank PSA 4
This card was deemed the #1 “most underrated pre-war baseball card” in 2007 by PSA's Joe Orlando. Only 78 copies have found their way into PSA holders over the years; about the same number as the iconic T206 Honus Wagner. In addition to this Eddie Plank T206 card being nearly as rare as the world-renowned T206 Honus Wagner, its story is just as compelling and mysterious. The same theories that surround why so few Wagner’s exist - compensation dispute, distaste for tobacco, broken printing-plate - are present with “Gettysburg Eddie”, and answers have been just as scarce as the card itself in the 11 decades since issuance. When Plank retired in 1917, he held the record for most wins by a lefty, and he still holds the records for most complete games and shutouts by a left-hander. Plank was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 by the Veterans Committee. Eddie Collins best put it as: “Eddie Plank was not the fastest, not the trickiest and not the possessor of the most stuff. He was just the greatest.”
1952 Topps Willie Mays PSA 8
"In a world of high-profile investment commodities, the 1952 Topps Mays is certainly on the short list of must-haves" according to PWCC, a leading sports marketplace. Most collectors consider this card to be his most significant and valuable because it's the first Topps card to feature Mays. The overall popularity of the Topps brand, and the significance of the 1952 set, cannot be overstated. With a rare combination of speed and power, Mays led the league four times in home runs and four times in stolen bases. He excited both coasts, beginning his career with a Giants franchise that moved from New York to San Francisco before his seventh season in the league, then wrapping it up back in NYC with the Mets. As all-time great Ted Williams said: “They made the All-Star Game for Willie Mays.”
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth SGC 8
This Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 is one of the key cards in arguably the most popular set ever created. Heritage Auctions put it eloquently: "The 1933 Goudey was an uncommon luxury for young baseball fans in a country still held tightly in the grip of the Great Depression. Presented is the card that every boy coveted during those challenging times, one of four variations celebrating the man who had launched his apocryphal "Called Shot" a year earlier." Babe Ruth, nicknamed "The Bambino" and "The Sultan of Swat", is considered baseball’s first great slugger and the most celebrated athlete of his time. He won 7 World Series championships and was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team, and All-Time Team. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture.
1958 Americana Pelé PSA 3
Due to its rarity this Pelé rookie card from 1958 was deemed a “freak of nature" by PWCC, a leading sports marketplace. There have been only 18 copies encapsulated by industry leader PSA. Graded a VG 3, this card has only been bested by a VG-EX 4 and an EX-MT 6, with no others matching the grade. The vivid green and yellow of the 1958 Brazilian World Cup kit are accented by a paling vintage blue background, giving the asset tremendous eye appeal. After debuting for the Brazilian National Team at 16 in 1957, Pele made waves at the 1958 World Cup, scoring six goals in four matches, including a hat-trick against France. Called “the greatest player of all time, and by some distance I might add” by fellow Brazilian Zico, Pelé would finish his illustrious career with three World Cups, six Brazilian Championships, one NASL championship, six scoring titles, and due to hazy record keeping, a career goal total that falls somewhere between 757 and 1,303. Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Michel Platini, a soccer legend within his own right, put it simply, “to play like Pelé is to play like God.”
1986 Fleer Michael Jordan PSA 10
1986 Fleer Jordan cards are among the most popular, and certainly the most recognizable, basketball cards ever made, and even the most important modern card from any sport. Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player in the history of the NBA. He won six NBA titles, eight scoring titles, five regular-season MVPs, six Finals MVPs, three All-Star Game MVPs and one Defensive Player of the Year award. In fact, Jordan was named to the All-Defensive First Team a record nine times. This 14-time All-Star and former NBA Rookie of the Year scored 32,292 points and averaged 30.1 points per game in his career. In addition to being the G.O.A.T. on the court, the Jordan brand exploded off of it. The Air Jordan brand became, and remains, synonymous with basketball.
1951 Bowman Willie Mays PSA 7
This 1951 Bowman card is Willie Mays' only official rookie card and considered one of the most iconic issues in all of collecting. According to Heritage Auctions "along with Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays has made the gorgeous 1951 Bowman issue one of the hottest sets for high-powered rookies in card-collecting history." With a rare combination of speed and power, Mays led the league four times in home runs and four times in stolen bases. He excited both coasts, beginning his career with a Giants franchise that moved from New York to San Francisco before his seventh season in the league, then wrapping it up back in NYC with the Mets. As all-time great Ted Williams said: “They made the All-Star Game for Willie Mays.”
1953 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8
Arguably Mickey Mantle's most beautiful card, and certainly one of his most important, this 1953 Topps is an iconic addition to vintage baseball card portfolios. The 1953 Topps is an immensely popular set due to its illustrative paintings of many of the game's best players, most notably Mickey Mantle. This card is a true piece of design. Mickey Mantle, nicknamed “The Mick”, was the linchpin of the New York Yankees epic dynasty during the 1950s and early 1960s. He won 7 World Series Championships, 3 MVP awards and was selected to 20 All-Star games. His journey from humble origins to centerfielder for the New York Yankees is the American Dream.
1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Milton Bradley PSA 9
This card is a scarce and rare rookie card of one of the most dominant and intimidating pitchers in MLB history, Nolan Ryan. Printed by Milton Bradley for their ‘Win-a-Card’ game, this rendition of Ryan’s iconic rookie is nearly 30 times tougher to find in this condition than the standard Topps card, and almost impossible to find in high grade. It is one of just three PSA Mint 9s, with none graded higher. Other pitchers have won more games, more awards, and had lower ERAs, but no one mastered the craft of missing the opponent’s bat quite like Nolan Ryan. With 5,714 punchouts in a 27-year career that spanned four decades, Ryan eclipses #2 on the list, Randy Johnson, by more than 800 strikeouts.
1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson Signed PSA Auth./8 Auto
An extraordinarily rare and signed copy of one of the most important Jackie Robinson cards in circulation, this 1949 Bowman card corresponds to his only MVP season. In 1949, the barrier-breaking infielder hit .342 leading the National League and topping all of baseball with 37 stolen bases. Robinson created a unique memento when he took pen to card, signing this issue in blue ink. Autographed Jackie Robinson cards are in huge demand due to their rarity. There are only eight signed '49 Robinson Bowmans in existence, with this copy being the highest autograph grade awarded. The 1949 Bowman baseball card set is considered by sports card historians to be the beginning of the modern era of color baseball cards, with the Jackie Robinson issue arguably the most iconic in the set. Robinson is not just a baseball hero, but an American hero. As a pioneer who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, his name became synonymous with the fight for Civil Rights. Jackie’s jersey number 42 is retired by all MLB teams. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky PSA 9
This is the key rookie card of the “Great One”, Wayne Gretzky and arguably the holy grail of hockey-card collecting. Few athletes have dominated their sport like Gretzky dominated hockey, compiling over 60 NHL records during his astonishing career. According to PSA, "the 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie is one of the toughest and most valuable modern-era trading cards in the market." Some of Gretzky’s remarkable accomplishments include finishing with 894 goals and 1,963 assist (2,857 points), 15 NHL All-Star selections (8 First Team and 7 Second Team squads), nine Hart Trophies as the league's best player, 10 Art Ross Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies and five Lady Byng Trophies.
