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Lelands 2023 Spring Classic features three exceptional lots: a newly discovered 1925 Lou Gehrig Rookie Card, LeBron James' game-worn jersey worn during his 28,000th point, and a rare 1914-15 Cracker Jack Complete Set from the Barry Halper Collection. Don't miss the chance to own these remarkable sports collectibles.
A freshly graded copy as of January 2023, this card represents what everyone is looking for in the hobby. Cleaning out some recently deceased relative’s house only to find the jackpot of a lifetime in some old dusty box.
And that is exactly what happened here, the consignor’s father-in-law purchased the card in Ohio in his youth only to sock it away until December 2022 for his family to find it. Not only this card, but several others in this sale will now find their way to new collections after a lifetime spent in a box in Midwest.
This example has a population of 1 with only 9 graded higher. Though it may only have received a VG-EX+ from PSA, it is still a beautiful card considering its era. It does have some scuffing on the edges and some surface issues, but the corners are still crisp; the image is may be a little cloudy due to age, but the depiction of Gehrig as he sets out on his major league career is an entrancing one.
In 2021, Christie’s sold a PSA 9 copy of this card for $687,500. Though it did contain an autograph from Lou himself, understandably adding a significant premium to the price.
Bidding for this lot currently stands at $218,425; it will be sure to make an excellent addition to golden age collections.
On February 4th, 2017, Lebron James’ Cavaliers played a regular season game against the Knicks. Cavs took home the W with a score of 111-104 and Lebron posted a double-double with 32 points and 10 assists.
The real story is in the all time points the kid from Akron had collected by that point. He became a member of an exclusive group of players who reached 28,000 career points. James' attainment of 28,000 points was particularly remarkable, as he managed to do so at a younger age than any other individual. Who did he knock out of that spot you ask? None other than Kobe Bryant. As if Lebron stans needed more fuel in the GOAT argument, he beat Kobe to this feat by more than a full year.
Lebron only needed a further six years to make his way to the top of the all-time scoring charts—doing so when he topped Kareem’s 38,387 just last February.
The jersey has been photo matched by Resolution Photomatching and has been noted to be a quite certain match, with several loose threads seen in the jersey. Bidding currently sits at $69,659, so if you wear a size XL jersey be sure to make your way over to Lelands website to place your bid.
Baseball collector extraordinaire and Yankees ownership partner Barry Halper had his esteemed collection auctioned off at Sotheby’s in 2000. The sale was comprised of many of the sport’s most sought-after artifacts: Ty Cobb’s autographed Philly Athletics Jersey, Lou Gehrig’s last baseball glove, Mickey Mantle’s 1956 Yankees World Series ring, to name a few.
This set of Cracker Jack “Ball Players” cards was sold at the very same sale. Though, 23 years after it was sold at Sotheby’s, Lelands discovered that it was in fact a compilation of 1914 and 1915 cards as opposed to the full 1914 set advertised by Sotheby’s. The house discovered two cards in the book that could have only belonged to the 1915 set, but since we are unable to peel the glued cards out of the book, it is safe to assume there are likely more.
The grades of these cards vary widely, but about half find themselves GD or VG and the other half are PR and FR. It is worth noting that the grades received by the cards are based purely on the front, since they are glued into the book the back cannot be examined on the other side.
Bidding currently stands at $41,165, nothing says baseball history like cardboard, glue, and caramel popcorn. A very impressive piece with a wonderful provenance, the cards in the set are still full of color and life; even after more than 100 years.
All Images via Lelands
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