For anyone whose heart races at the mere mention of vintage sports memorabilia, June 22nd is a day to block off in your calendar. Sports fans and card collectors all over the internet are gearing up for one of the most exciting events of the year, courtesy of Miller & Miller Auctions. This isn’t just any sale—it's a sprawling digital showcase of iconic baseball and hockey nostalgia where the legends of yesterday are brought back to vibrant life through 235 lots of covet-worthy items, all pre-1980.
Taking center stage in this nostalgic carnival is none other than Mickey Mantle, that perennial figure of baseball greatness. The 1952 Topps #311 Mantle rookie card is the auction’s crown jewel, an illustrious artifact that is the grail among grails for baseball aficionados. It's a curious thing: even in a condition designated as PSA 2 Good—yes, there are corners far past their prime—this holy relic is set to ignite fierce bidding wars, with estimates running a cool $40,000 to $50,000 CAD. It’s the kind of card that can make any collector's heart skip a beat in anticipation or anxiety, possibly both.
It's not just the focus on Mantle, as baseball’s grand narrative unspools further with a batch of 1952 Topps Sixth Series cards. Think of these as the rare "High Numbers", the stuff of legend within collecting circles. With prices estimated between $3,000 and $5,000 CAD, these cards, despite some carrying the wear and tear of their 71 years, speak to those hungry for a slice of hobby history.
Hockey enthusiasts, fear not, for this auction caters to lovers of icy arenas as well. The 1951 Parkhurst #66 Gordie Howe rookie card makes its appearance, a mesmerizing piece with an expected value between $8,000 and $10,000 CAD. Graded PSA 3 Very Good, it’s not straight from Mr. Freeze’s vault, but its appeal and rarity are undeniable, making it the centerpiece of Parkhurst collections.
Further cementing the grandeur of the auction is Bobby Orr’s 1966 Topps #35 rookie card. With a KSA 6 Excellent-Near Mint grade, it stands ready to court admirers and serious investors alike with its projected worth of $8,000 to $9,000 CAD. Orr's mystique has a gravitational pull, and this card is no exception, turning the heads of every hockey lover peeking through their screens.
But wait, there’s more! One cannot overlook the stirring presence of a Bill Barilko game-used stick, gleaming with signatures from the Toronto Maple Leafs' historic 1951 Stanley Cup triumph. Estimated between $3,000 and $5,000 CAD, this artifact is an intimate slice of hockey history, carrying the worn charm of die-hard love for the game.
A shadow box featuring Parkhurst rookie cards of Maurice and Henri Richard might just steal the show for display connoisseurs. Complemented by a signed Louisville Pro Flex stick, a Canadiens puck, and an exquisite bronze plaque, this piece commands a $4,000 to $6,000 CAD estimate, promising to be the elixir for any Montreal Canadiens fan.
Diving into the obscure, the auction also offers a full set of 110 Topps “Tall Boys” hockey cards from the 1964-65 season, making them longer and rarer than your standard trading cards. Sporting names like Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, and Tim Horton, this collection expects to fetch between $4,000 and $6,000 CAD.
And what’s this? Completing the vintage bonanza is a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee uncut sheet spotlighting 226 hockey cards, including a never-played Wayne Gretzky rookie card that screams pristine. Valued between $3,500 and $4,500 CAD, it’s a parchment worthy of hanging in a sports cathedral—or your living room, should you win the bid.
From the director’s chair, Ben Pernfuss of Miller & Miller describes this auction akin to a parade of past triumphs. The assortment, comprising treasures from groundbreaking sets like the 1951 Parkhurst hockey and 1952 Topps baseball, looks set to light up the collector universe with its array of famed figures.
The bidding action is strictly online, an arena ripe for fierce competition without the pomp of an in-person auction house. For those who wish to participate, catalogs and the digital battleground open on Miller & Miller’s website and LiveAuctioneers. In the world of collector enthusiasm, Miller & Miller’s dedication ensures that prized troves of nostalgia will find their way to the hands of those who cherish history carved into cardstock.
Whether you're in it for the auctions or simply to spectate the reverence shown to these time-honored artifacts, June 22nd promises to be quite the day in the annals of sports memorabilia, courtesy of Miller & Miller.
Mickey Mantle Rookie At Auction
Comments