Just released: Our latest Sports Collectibles Market Report!
This weekend, Lelands Auction will close the Mint25 Auction. The event is stacked with 25 blue-chip assets ranging from iconic cards, rare tickets, and one of one memorabilia. Two of the offerings include assets that were IPO'd on Collectable while one lot will make its way to the alternative investing platform at the conclusion of the event. Altan Insights will provide coverage of the event next week to review relevant results for alternative asset investors.
Lots to Watch
Lot #1: 1951 Bowman #305 Willie Mays Rookie Card PSA NM-MT 8
On December 5th, REA sold a PSA 8 for $264,000 which was the highest price paid for this card since March 7th and marked the third-highest sale price of 2021. This exact card held by Lelands last sold at Heritage Auction on August 17, 2019, for $46,800. Collectable has a PSA 7 trading on their platform currently that has dropped -20% since IPO but is up 6.5% in the last six months. Lelands PSA 8 has attracted 41 bids and is priced at $175,999 with three days remaining in the event. This card demonstrates some of the best eye-appeal within the population and should reach the $230,000-$265,000 range we have seen other sales settle within.
Lot #2: 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle Rookie Card PSA NM-MT 8
Another blue-chip Bowman card will sell our of lot number two this weekend at Lelands and it is one of the most famous cards in the hobby. There are only 53 graded PSA 8 with only 10 higher out of over 2,000 examples in PSA’s database. The exact card that will sell at Lelands attracted 33 bids and sold for $498,000 at Memory Lane in February. Prices for PSA 8 examples dipped under $400,000 in the fall before Heritage sold one for $420,000 on November 18th. Whether or not his card can reach $400,000 will offer investors a state of the union for the Mantle market heading into 2022.
Lot # 3: Wilt Chamberlain 100 Point Game Signed Program and High-Grade Ticket Stub (PSA)
One of the more unique offerings at the Mint 25, this program and ticket combo highlights one of the most legendary moments in sports history. Within the humble walls of the Hershey Arena, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Warriors played the New York Knicks in a game that would rewrite the history books. On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points to become the first and only player in NBA history to reach the century mark. This offering includes the program from that game in Very Good to Excellent condition in addition to a VG 3 graded ticket. Less than 4,200 fans were in attendance at Hershey Arena and this ticket is one of the three highest-graded examples. On August 7th, Goldin Auctions sold a PSA Authentic graded stub for $87,330, which represents the tenth highest sale for any sports ticket. Investors on Rally should follow this lot closely as the alternative asset platform IPO’d a PSA 3 for $115,000.
Collectable’s Collection
Lot # 14: 1910 E98 Ty Cobb Card PSA GEM MINT 10 (Pop 1 of 2)
This Cobb was down -11% on Collectable’s secondary market and was trading at a $268,113 market cap before investors elected to submit the offering to The Mint 25. In May, the card’s market cap neared $350,000 but with a decline in PSA 9 prices, the valuation of this PSA 10 dipped under the $300,000 mark. This grail is one of only two that are graded PSA 10 and the other last sold $264,000 in 2019. This card carries an estimate of $500,000 at Lelands and has picked up 10 bids as the final weekend nears.
Lot # 11: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Record-Setting 38,387th NBA Point Basketball (Abdul-Jabbar Letter)
Collectable IPO’d this basketball on October 19th for $375,000. Investors then agreed to submit this record-breaking ball to the Mint 25 Auction and the asset was appraised for a range between $400,000-$600,000. This particular basketball was used to score the 38,387th point of Kareem’s iconic career. That total currently stands as the NBA record and is over 1,000 more points that any other player. LeBron James is closing the gap quickly and is on pace to catch Kareem over the next few years but the dominance and reign of Kareem during influential years for pro basketball will never be replaced.
Lot # 23: 1980 Mike Eruzione Team USA Hockey Gold Medal Winning Game Worn Jersey (Eruzione Letter)
The third and final lot with fractional ties, 80% of this Mike Eruzione Jersey will make its way to the Collectable app at the conclusion of the auction. No, they will not be slicing the jersey into pieces, but instead it will be broken into shares based on the purchase price valuation. The winner of this jersey will keep 20% retained equity while the remaining percentage heads to Collectable to IPO and then trade on their secondary market. While everyone remembers the awe-inspiring "Miracle on Ice", the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team still needed to beat Finland to secure their gold medals. Team captain Mike Eruizone donned this red, white, and blue jersey during that gold medal game as Team USA secured a 4-2 victory. The jersey is inscribed and signed with a letter of authentication provided by Eruzione himself.
Seven-Figure Potential
Talk about a card with a catalyst. Patrick Mahomes will already be playing in his fourth AFC Championship game in four years, with a chance to play in his third straight Super Bowl. Not only is this card from a print run of 15, it is numbered 15, which matches the superstar quarterbacks uniform number. With excellent eye appeal that includes near-perfect centering and relatively untouched edges, this card should push towards $1 million and could surpass that target if recent sales are any indicator of current price trends.
Probably unfair to say this card has ‘seven-figure potential’. It will reach seven-figures- the only question is how close will it get to being a multi-million dollar card. Every public sale for a BGS 8.5 surpassed $1.4 million in 2021 and the only factor that could hold this card back is the 9 autograph grade. For a card from such a limited print run though autograph grades typically do not impact final valuation as much as a card with a higher total production. The Brady has already surpassed the half-million price tag heading into the final days of the event. Collectable has a BGS 8.5 with an auto 10 currently trading for $1.56 million. The Collectable Brady card is down -27.5% since IPO and currently sits in line with recent prices.
Unique Memorabilia
Lot # 6: 1918 Babe Ruth Handwritten & Signed Letter to Hillerich & Bradsby- (PSA MINT 9 Signatures)
Finding a baseball with the John Hancock of baseball’s most recognized icon is an incredible feat on its own. To find a letter, written entirely in Babe Ruth’s handwriting, with SIX signatures, that is a grail. While Ruth was also a star pitcher, there is no question the lore that surrounds him is due to his prowess at the plate. Hillerich & Bradsby Co provided the tools that helped Ruth crush 714 home runs in 22 season, a total that still stands as the third highest total in MLB history. The six signatures are all dated prior to 1920, when the value of Ruth-related memorabilia started to see increased attention. The quantity of signatures was likely due to a request from H&B in order to be used for bat barrel stampings. The letter has garnered 20 bids and carries a current price of $265,328 with an estimated range of $800,000-$1,000,000.
This jersey from Michael Jordan’s final season in Chicago was highlighted in the ESPN docu-series “The Last Dance”. In the heart of his final season in the Windy City, the Bulls squared off against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center. In a back-and-forth battle, the game was tied in the final seconds before MJ did what MJ did best, hitting a game winning jumper at the buzzer to secure a Chicago win. This jersey from that swan song season has been authenticated and photo matched by MeiGray. The jersey is already pushing $200,000 heading into the final 48 hours.
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