A Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle Card Brings $59,000 in Miller & Miller's Online Sports Auction, June 22

A game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 1950-51 Stanley Cup championship season soared to $70,800, and a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle “holy grail” baseball card finished at $59,000, in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia auction held June 22.

All prices in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

The Barilko hockey stick was the undisputed sleeper item of the sale, easily blasting through its $5,000 high estimate on its way to top lot honors. The Mantle card was no surprise, having come into the sale with a $40,000-$50,000 estimate, but the final selling price bested that by $9,000. In all, 235 lots came up for bid in an auction that grossed $386,951.50, a success by any measure.

"The Bill Barilko stick was an absolute thrill to bring to market and see a Canadian icon's name live on in the sale of a historic piece of memorabilia,” said Ben Pernfuss, Consignment Director for the sale, adding, “Card results remained strong, as two 1952 Mantles highlighted an exciting offering of pre-1980 cards. Sold was a range of cards, sports memorabilia and historic objects.”

The game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leaf’s 1950-51 Stanley Cup season offered a significant piece of hockey history. The stick was made by the Love & Bennett sporting goods store, located on the same block as the Maple Leaf Garden. It was stamped with Barilko’s number 5 and signed by the members of that championship team.

Bidders were treated to two 1952 Mantle cards in the auction. The example that brought $59,000 wasn’t perfect. It was graded 2 Good from PSA, with imperfect corners and an off-center image area. But it also boasted an excellent surface and strong edges. Ultimately, bidders saw the card for what it was: a rare ‘52 Mantle card in a category of its own and a true “holy grail” collectible.

Following are additional highlights from the auction, one with no live webcast portion and where lots closed in sequential order on auction day. A total of 221 registered bidders placed a combined 4,732 bids. 99 percent of all lots offered were sold, while 54 percent of the top 50 lots topped estimates. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website.

A complete set (79 of 79) Parkhurst hockey cards from the 1955-56 season, featuring Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and “Old-Time Greats,” brought $8,850, more than tripling the $2,500 high estimate. Included were Jacque Plante’s #50 rookie card (PSA 3 Very Good), card #37 Rocket Richard (PSA 6 EX-MT) and card #44 Jean Beliveau (PSA 4 Very Good). 

A complete high-grade set (60 of 60) 1964 Topps Giants series cards, marking the company’s first postcard-size release, with each 4 inch by 7 inch card showcasing a large color photograph framed by a white border, sold for $8,260 against a high estimate of $3,000. A few of the stars included Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. The average PSA grade was 8.4.

A 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson baseball card, graded PSA 1 PR, bested the $3,000 high estimate by finishing at $5,900. The card was from Topps’ fabled 1952 6th series, running from #311 Mickey Mantle to #407, considered the rarest series of the 407-card set, and the Jackie Robinson card is one of the most sought-after, owing to his legendary career on and off the field.

A New York Yankees jersey, signed and inscribed by Mickey Mantle in 1993 and presented to the Toronto Blue Jays as a token of appreciation for the team having invited him to the World Series that year, along with his ticket to the game, in a 52 inch by 49 inch frame, sold for $5,015, more than doubling the high estimate. He wrote, “Thanks. Forever a Yankee, Mickey Mantle.”

A 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee uncut sheet of 226 hockey cards in excellent condition (and boasting a #18 Wayne Gretzky mint rookie card) showed some minor edge wear but that season’s O-Pee-Chee set remains one of the most iconic groupings of cards in the world of sports card collecting. The sheet was blank-backed (no printing on the reverse side). It sold within estimate for $4,130.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will take the summer months off but will be back in September with three exciting auctions. They are as follows:

- Sept. 13 – Petroliana & Advertising

- Sept. 14 – General Store Advertising, featuring the Don Titherington Collection

- Sept. 27 – Pre-1980 Sports & Memorabilia

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, visit www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.

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