Generally, when determining the value of sports cards, grades dictate prices.
Other factors surely come into play in many instances, such as the company behind the grade, the eye appeal of the card and other collector preferences. Rarely is provenance a factor.
In some cases, companies such as PSA place pedigree labels on slabs, such as in the case of the Dmitri Young Collection, one of the most significant collections of post-war baseball cards ever assembled, which sold at SCP in 2012.
One card set to sell at Heritage later this month has a unique piece of provenance attached to it that could play a role in the final hammer price. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, graded BVG 3, comes along with a photo of Mickey Mantle himself holding the card.
The previous owner presented Mantle with the card during an autograph signing (a signed baseball from the event is also included), presumably in the early 1990s.
The current bid for the lot, which includes the ball, original screw-down holder, the camera that took the photo and multiple Beckett Baseball Card Monthly magazines from the time period, is $56,120, including buyer’s premium, with 10 days remaining at auction. The estimate is $70,000 and up.
Another card in similar condition, without the backstory, would be expected to sell in the mid-$50,000 range.
Mantle cards with provenance relating to the New York Yankees great have some precedent.
One example, graded SGC 6.5, reads “ONCE OWNED BY MANTLE” on its label. It sold last year for $192,000. The label is slightly misleading, as it is not as if that card was a known treasured piece of Mantle’s collection. Instead, it is said to come from Mantle’s restaurant, where it was once displayed. Each time that card has sold at auction, it has failed to attract a premium.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.