I think my eyes are still glued from the prices that Heritage garnered from its Winter Platinum Night sale this weekend. I'm going to through general themes here.
1. Period autos on cards or tickets continue to go nuts
Whether its the 1951 Mickey Mantle Bowman in a PSA 2 with very early Mantle signature selling for 12% more than the same card in a PSA 8 with an MBA sticker (deemed top 15% of pop in that grade) or a Walter Payton signature on a PSA 7 rookie card selling for $280,600 (a plain PSA sells for less that $700), it's very clear that the once forbidden autos on cards has flipped.
The single most shocking auto premium was a Michael Jordan period auto on his pro debut ticket, which cleared $91,000. This ticket, in the condition it was in, would sell alone in the $5,000 range, which means someone is paying $86,000 for an autograph. Wild.
A ticket from the game that Michael Jordan first met high schooler Kobe Bryant sold for more than $15,000, thanks to Kobe's signature on the back, his No. 33 a hint that it was signed at the time.
2. Mets fans are hungry for great piece
While we see many Yankees pieces sell for a ton of money, Mets fans — only blessed with two titles (1969, 1986) only have so much to celebrate. In this auction, we saw astronomical numbers from Tom Seaver estate items. To get $854,000 for his 1969 World Series ring seems preposterous, good for the third highest paid for a ring of all time — behind Babe Ruth's 1927 World Series ring ($2.1 million) and Kobe Bryant's 2000 NBA Finals ring ($927,000). And it doesn't stop there. To get $201,300 for the 1973 National League ring and $56,120 for a Seaver game-used uniform from 1974? Those are outstanding prices.
3. Rings Have Gained Steam
Rings have always been an awkward item. They're gaudy and you can't really wear them and that alone has suppressed prices. But the prices for these Seaver rings are wild. Not only the 1973 one, which was a World Series loser, but also league championship rings from other World Series losers (Red Sox, 1986, $31,720, Mets, 2000, $23,790, Mets, 2015, $23,180). Seaver's All-Star rings and "300" rings also did solid numbers.
4. High-End Tickets Are Crushing
Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" ticket sold for $280,000 in this auction, the record for a non-debut ticket. That Jordan pro debut referenced above was joined by a full Jordan NCAA debut, that hit $61,000, a record for a non-signed college ticket. A Roger Maris signed 61st home run ticket went for $44,000, a full "Rumble in the Jungle" went for nearly $32,000 and a "Babe Ruth Bows Out" ticket, which has long been disrespected, topped $26,000.
5. Eyes Turning To Elite Programs
Programs have seen its counterpart tickets rise with very little energy. But PSA slabbing magazines has led collectors to dream about slabbing programs. There is hope now as two programs in particular commanded serious dollars in this auction. The program from the "Luckiest Man" game sold for $31,720 and the program from Joe DiMaggio's debut sold for $23,180.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.