Just released: Our latest Sports Collectibles Market Report!
Goldin Auction Preview
Goldin will close their Summer Premium Auction on August 7-8th. Investors can track multiple assets that are comparable to items offered by the various alternative asset marketplaces including the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan, 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky, 1957 Bill Russell and more! Altan Insights will complete a full review of the event with more relevant coverage once final bids have been placed and all prices have been realized.
Fractional Wish List
This section highlights assets that would fit in the fractional world but have not been offered as of publication.
In a recent article that covered fractional sports card performance, vintage cards carried returns that were noticeably higher than modern cardboard. Goldin is featuring a plethora of vintage cards and collectibles that we feel would make great additions to the current lineup of pre-war fractional offerings.
The T206 series produced between 1909-1911 is most-known for the hallowed Honus Wagner card. While Wagner is already featured on Rally, Eddie Plank is another player that frequently commands six -figure sales at auction. The T206 collection featured 390 cards and while the Wagner is recognized for its improbable scarcity, there is only one other card in the series that has less than 75 graded examples- the Eddie Plank white border. Plank was a superstar of his era and was credited by the great Babe Ruth as the ‘hardest pitcher to hit’. In 1941, Ty Cobb published a piece that laid out his ‘All-Time Roster’. Plank was one of six pitchers Cobb listed, giving a proverbial hat-tip to his long-time American League rival. Plank would finish his career with 326 wins and a 2.35 ERA. The ace was also known for his ability to go the distance- Plank started 529 games and completed 410 of them. Goldin is featuring a PSA 4 graded Eddie Plank card that is currently priced at $200,000 through the first 11 bids.
Speaking of the T206 Honus Wagner, Goldin is also offering a less known, but even rarer Wagner at this event that will sell at a significant discount to the 1909 card. The Honus at this Goldin event is a 1910 Tip Top Bread card that is graded PSA 5. There are only three cards that have achieved a PSA 5 with no examples graded higher out of just 31 total examples in the PSA registry. The card itself was sponsored by Tip Top Bread, unlike the T206 set which carried ads of tobacco companies.
The Tip Top set included 25 cards that featured the Pittsburgh Pirates, their management, and their stadium. Anyone who saved 50 labels from Tip Top Bread could turn them in for a free card set; A marketing ploy that based on the PSA population, was largely unsuccessful.
One of the most controversial players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond is featured in a unique offering this month at Goldin: “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who was banned from baseball in 1921, due to his role in the infamous ‘Black Sox’ scandal. Although a Chicago jury acquitted eight players for accepting bribes to lose the 1919 World Series, all eight were banned for life and subsequently barred from enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. Jackson admitted to participating in the fix even though he had 12 base hits in the series, which was a record that would not be broken until 1964.
Goldin has a signed South Carolina driver’s license from Jackson that has been authenticated by PSA. Jackson’s signature is a sought-after commodity since the baseball legend was illiterate and rarely penned his name on anything. With more attention turning towards sports memorabilia and tickets, the first fractional driver’s license would be a fitting addition to alternative asset portfolios.
Cards with Catalysts
This feature includes assets with an upcoming event that could impact the short-term value of the card or collectible.
With the upcoming Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, stars including Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Charles Woodson, and Troy Polamalu are lined-up with strong upcoming catalysts. There are multiple lots that feature rookie cards and sealed wax of this year’s class including a 1998 SP Authentic Peyton Manning Rookie Card /2000 graded PSA 10 that is priced at $9,000 through the initial bids. The highest sale price for this card (PSA 10) at Goldin is $31,200, which was realized at their March Monthly Card Auction.
There are multiple hobby boxes up for auction that feature rookie cards of players that will be enshrined this weekend in Canton, Ohio. The 1998 Topps Chrome box includes 24 packs of cards that could hold a rookie Peyton, Charles Woodson, or even a current Hall of Famer like Randy Moss. There is also a box lot of six factory sealed hobby boxes from the 1998 Playoff Contenders series that includes the same highly-coveted draft class. The set of six boxes is currently priced at $9,500 while the single Topps Chrome box has reached $500 heading into the final days of bidding.
Collectors looking to add players from this Hall of Fame class can do so through cards that carry significantly lower valuations. For example, Goldin is carrying Press Pass cards of both Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson with final prices expected to settle under $500 for both cards.
Attainable Auctions
This feature includes cards that we find particularly interesting and are still available at an affordable price.
When looking for affordable cards, finding high graded, numbered cards with a limited population can seem impossible. Goldin has a 1997 Topps Finest Refractor Tracy McGrady Rookie Card /1000 with a PSA 10 grade for sale, with current bidding at $125. The card has a population of just 23 for PSA 10 graded examples and recent sales of this late ‘90s cardboard from the ‘Arrivals’ series have eclipsed $200.
McGrady is already in the NBA Hall of Fame and recently launched an app called SOLEcial that allows collectors to buy sports memorabilia and trading cards directly from T-Mac. The app will also feature raffles and auctions, with all items authenticated by PSA. The app will launch with only McGrady memorabilia at first but is planning to include gear and potentially NFTs from other professional athletes.
Trading cards are not just tied to sports and Goldin is featuring a card that stretches well outside the realm of anything remotely athletic. The acclaimed auction house has a 1992 Chris Farley card that features Farley dressed in his Chippendale costume from the late-night show ‘Saturday Night Live’. The card is graded BGS 10 and includes the comedy icons signature, which received an ‘Authentic’ rating from Beckett. The card has already reached $1,400 through the first 16 bids.
The movie that merged sports with the Looney Toons, Space Jam opened in theaters in 1996 and grossed over $250 million, becoming the highest-grossing basketball film of all time. Goldin has a pair of sealed 1996 Upper Deck Space Jam Card and Figure Sets up for auction with bidding currently at $125. The sealed boxes highlight the film's protagonist, NBA legend Michael Jordan and feature limited edition cards and figurines.
Sports fans who have caught olympic-fever during the 32nd Olympiad can bid on multiple lots of timely assets that are present at Goldin’s event. Olympic-related items include a 2004 SI For Kids Michael Phelps signed card, Topps U.S. Olympics signed Simone Biles card, and a 1936 Nestle Sports Jesse Owens 1 of 1.
There are also lots that feature tickets including a set of 6 of the 8 stubs from Michael Phelps’ historic 2008 performance and a pair of 2012 Olympic Basketball tickets from the semi-finals and finals in which the United States won gold.
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