A magnificent Babe Ruth single-signed baseball garnered $137,620 and a one-of-a-kind collection of 19th century baseball CDVs sold for a total of $528,848 in the Lelands Fall Classic Auction, which closed on November 18, 2023.
The Babe Ruth autographed baseball is graded NM-MT 8 overall by PSA. Fresh to the hobby and signed by the Great Bambino in blue fountain pen across the sweet spot, the ball originates from the personal collection of ex-Boston Braves catcher Phil Masi. Ruth signed the ball when he visited the Braves spring training facility during the late 1940s.
The CDV collection dating from the 1870s featured more than 40 hobby fresh individual portrait images of many of the game’s earliest stars. Originating from a remarkable and unprecedented find of early photographs recently discovered in a 19th century photo album, the trove included a CDV of the game’s first home run champion and the sport’s first great Jewish ballplayer, Lipman Pike ($131,971), and a CDV of Hall of Fame pitcher Albert Spalding ($63,750).
The auction also featured a 1995 Greg Maddux Braves World Series game-used glove ($41,094), a Sandy Koufax game-worn Los Angeles Dodgers cap from his 1965 Cy Young and Triple Crown season ($39,137), Mike Tyson’s fight-worn mouthpiece ($3,894) and Tyson’s gloves from his 1986 fight vs. Reggie Gross ($28,072), Andy Pettitte’s signed Yankees game-worn jersey from his last career win at Yankee Stadium. ($36,210), a Babe Ruth signed baseball cutout graded a PSA MINT 9 ($39,922), and a Lou Gehrig signed baseball cutout graded a PSA MINT 9 ($38,021).
Additional highlights included a 1960 Jerry West signed original Type 1 photo used for his 1961 Fleer Basketball rookie card ($34,924), a1990-91 Anthony Munoz Bengals season-long game-worn, photo-matched jersey ($25,180), a 1957 Topps Basketball #1 Nat “Sweetwater” signed rookie card ($19,914), a 1996 Kobe Bryant first NBA point ticket stub PSA EX-MT 6 ($8,666), a Cliff Levingston 1990-91 Bulls game-worn uniform ($8,413), and the finest known Honus Wagner signed index card and graded a PSA GEM MINT ($8,070).
For the full results of the Lelands 2023 Fall Classic Auction, visit https://lelands.com.
ABOUT LELANDS
Established in 1985, Lelands is the world’s first sports memorabilia and card auction house, and the premier appraisers and authenticators in the entire sports hobby. Its founder, the late Josh Leland Evans, was a pioneer in the field and acknowledged by his peers as the most knowledgeable figure in sports memorabilia. Renowned in his own right, Evans’s long-time partner Michael Heffner continues Lelands’ four decade tradition of personal customer service and maximizing results for clients. Lelands has handled many of the largest landmark auctions, achieving world-record prices for countless cards and iconic memorabilia including a Tom Brady rookie card ($3.1 million), Babe Ruth’s 1927 Yankees World Series ring ($2.09 million), Ruth’s 1919 “Curse of the Bambino” signed contract ($2.3 million), and a 1920 Ruth Yankees jersey ($4.5 million). For more information, visit https://lelands.com.
