Love of the Game Auctions, an Internet-based sports auction house catering to the passionate collector of memorabilia and cards, has announced the successful completion of its second sale. The February 2 auction generated total prices realized in excess of $160,000 with more than 160 different winning bidders. Nearly 2,600 bids were placed on the auction’s 374 lots, an average of nearly 7 bids per lot.

“We’re thrilled at the response to our second auction,” said Auction Director Al Crisafulli. “While our first sale in October had strong results, our second auction realized significant improvements in every measurable category. The number of registered bidders, the number of active bidders, the total amount of bids placed, and the auction’s total revenues all demonstrated very strong increases over our debut.”

The auction’s prices realized included many important highlights, including:

• The Rudy Strejc Collection, an original owner collection of prewar tobacco and gum cards. The collection’s 85 lots sold for nearly $30,000 in total.
• The Strejc Collection’s E98 Ty Cobb in SGC 35 sold for $2,832, breaking a sales record for E98 Cobbs a half-grade higher
• The 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson in SGC 84 sold for $2,714, the highest recorded price for the card in that grade in more than two years
• The T206 Josh Devore, the only known copy with an Old Mill back, sold for $2,242
• A collection of 1909 T3 Turkey Red cabinet cards sold for a total of $19,281, including the following impressive results:
• Christy Mathewson, graded VG/EX+ 4.5 by PSA, sold for $3,245
• Addie Joss, graded EX+ 5.5 by PSA, achieved a hammer price of $2,714
• A high-grade Bill Burns, rated EX/MT 6 by PSA, reached $1,416
• A lower-grade Tris Speaker, graded VG+ 45 by SGC, achieved a record price of $1,888
• A group of 11 midgrade 1935 National Chicle Football cards, highlighted by #34 Bronko Nagurski, achieved a total of $13,570
• The 1909 E90-1 “rookie” card of Shoeless Joe Jackson, graded FR 1.5 by PSA, attained a final price of $7,080
• A gorgeous, framed 1907 Eastern League composite photo sold for an unheard-of price of $4,130
• A low-grade T206 Walter Johnson with a scarce Cycle 460 back reached $4,425

Many other items in the auction also exceeded expectations for prices realized.

“The entire auction exceeded our estimates by a considerable margin,” explained Crisafulli. “In just a few months, we have established Love of the Game as a ‘go-to’ auction house for scarce T206 cards, prewar baseball and football items, high-grade postwar Hall of Famers, and difficult modern test issues.

“What’s best about that is that we’ve accomplished it in a short time, without compromising our integrity or our reputation as a trustworthy auction house.”

The entire auction is archived on the Love of the Game website at www.loveofthegameauctions.com.

The company’s next auction is scheduled for the early Spring of 2013, kicking off in mid March. Consignments are currently being accepted, with special incentives for early consignors. The consignment deadline is March 1.