ANOTHER RARE MANTLE SIGHTING

BERK ROSS SET FEATURES MANTLE, MAYS, DIMAGGIO AND OTHER SURPRISES

You’re well aware of the holy grail among Mickey Mantle cards — his 1952 Topps rookie, with his 1951 Bowman rookie a worthy complement. But there’s another early Mantle card that puts collectors in a cold sweat: his 1952 Berk Ross.

The first Berk Ross set (“Hit

Parade of Champions”) landed in 1951: a 72-card issue with representatives from multiple sports. The second Berk Ross set, from 1952, also offered 72 cards and focused on baseball. All sorts of big names are there, including Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays (all of which can sell for $5,000-$10,000 if in 9 condition). And, of course, Mantle is there.

The Magnificent Yankee’s card is as vintage-looking as it gets. It gives us a photo of The Mick in a righthanded batting pose, shot from below against a colorless sky. In fact, all of this card’s colors are muted, from Mantle’s cap to the faint skyline of buildings along the bottom. Even so, it’s an appealing piece, one that draws excitement at auction, especially if it’s graded above a 6.

As such, a PSA 7 version of Mantle’s ’52 Berk Ross turned up in an eBay auction and fetched $37,777. The seller noted that it looks “pack fresh” and opined that it appears even nicer than the grade. If only it had a higher grade: Heritage Auctions sold a PSA 8-graded Berk Ross Mantle card for $93,000. By the same token, if the grade were any lower, it might have dropped below five figures. For

example, a PSA 5 example of the same card recently sold on eBay for $6,227.

Berk Ross’s 1952 cards, by the way, were slightly larger (2-by-3 inches) than the company’s 1951s. Vertical cards were perforated at the top and bottom. The Mantle is horizontal, so the perforation tabs are on the left and right sides.

BERK ROSS BONUS

As long as we’re focused on Berk Ross’ first two sets, let’s quickly consider other recent sales.

The 1951s, as noted, featured athletes from multiple sports. Recent auction highlights on eBay showed some of that variety. To wit:

• A Bob Cousy, graded PSA 4, sold for $1,420, drawing 40 bids. One with a higher grade, SGC 6, somehow sold for far less, $833 on five bids.

• A Joe DiMaggio from the same

year got away for $861 on 23 bids, despite a grade of PSA 7. (What can we say? Collectors are lovestruck for rookie cards; the ’51 DiMaggio came out in the last year of his career.)

• A Warren Spahn and Yogi Berra “doubles” card brought $800 on a single bid.

• A combo football/golf card showing Leon Hart and Ben Hogan and graded PSA 8 sold for $500. Hart was a Notre Dame star (only 19 when this card was released) who went on to play eight seasons as a fullback and defensive end with the Lions. Hogan needs no introduction: His fabled career on the links included nine major PGA championships. With 64 PGA wins in all, he’s fourth on the all-time list, behind only Sam Snead, Tiger Woods (see below) and Jack Nicklaus.

And here are recent highlights among 1952 Berk Ross cards:

• A low-grade Jackie Robinson (SGC 2.5) attracted 42 bids and brought $1,067.

• A Willie Mays in the same condition (SGC 2.5) fetched $999 on 36 bids.

• A much better preserved Ted Williams went for $815 on two bids.

• Cards of Vic Raschi and Gil McDougal sold for $599 (30 bids) and $587 (27 bids), respectively. Both are

remarkably clean specimens, graded PSA 9.

COOL-HAND LUKA

His biography reflects a litany of nicknames: Cool-Hand, The Don, Wonder Boy, Luka Legend, El Matador and on and on. Yet Luka Doncic is living up to all of them. The 6-7, 230-pound Dallas Mavericks guard

(or, as analysts like to call him, point forward) has been a marvel since entering the NBA in 2018. He won Rookie of the Year honors that season and has only improved since then. In his four NBA seasons, the Slovenian superstar is averaging nearly 26 points per game to go with 8.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists.

Along the way, Doncic has become a fast favorite among speculative collectors. His cards have been lighting up eBay since his rookie season, soaring into five-figure prices for cream-ofthe-crop pieces. This year alone, we’ve seen these hefty prices:

• $226,600 on 72 bids for an autographed 2018-19 National Treasures card (#30 of 99) graded BGS 9.5.

• $70,100 on 98 bids for a 2018-19 Panini Prizm Blue Ice (#25 of 99) graded PSA 10.

• $63,070 on 66 bids for a 2018-19 Panini Immaculate Gold autographed patch card (#7 of 10) graded BGS 9.

• $54,655 on 67 bids for a 201819 Panini Prizm Blue card (#4/199) graded PSA 10.

Speaking of highlights, if you want a lively taste of Doncic in action, go to YouTube and search the phrase (in quotes) “10 Minutes of Luka Doncic being better at basketball than your favorite player.”

PACK TREASURE

Topps’ 1974 baseball set is a solid, star-studded issue but one that’s not quite loaded with rookie gold. The most enticing name among players making their cardboard debut is Dave Winfield. Otherwise, the lure here is a group of estimable veterans in the midst (or nearing the end) of Hall of Fame careers. Among the many: Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Stargell and Hank Aaron, who’s honored on card #1 for becoming baseball’s all-time home run king. Topps also devoted cards 2 through 6 to Aaron.

Another appeal: 15 of the Padres cards came in two versions. One shows the players to be San Diego Padres. The alternate version shows them as members of “Washington Nat’l League” — reflecting the possibility the team would relocate to D.C.

The net-net of all this — an estimable lineup of veterans and the quirky Padres variations, but a skimpy supply of rookies — is a set that’s appealing but relatively affordable.

Yet a bidder spent $24,000 on a lot containing 125 unopened 1974 wax packs. Topps issued the cards in one fell swoop, rather than six or seven series, as it had every year up to that point. So all of the highlights we noted above are potential pulls.

Recent sales of PSA 9 Winfield rookies have been selling for $1,500 to $2,000. If the winning bidder pulls just four Winfield rookies out of those 125 packs, he or she will have just a few cards accounting for 25 to 33 percent of the auction price. Then again, perhaps the winning bidder has discipline to keep those packs sealed and let the prospect of the contents grow.

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Just outside our Top 10 chart were two different Tiger Woods items. One is a card you see in our coverage time and again: his 2001 autographed SP Authentic card. Upper Deck produced the card in an edition of 900; when a top-condition example hits the auction block, it’s sure to reach five figures, as this one (a BGS 9.5) did.

The other Tiger is a true rarity: an autographed “Precious Metal Gems” card presented only to Upper Deck employees. Press run: 125. Yet it sold for $1,150 less than the more frequently traded SP Authentic.

Here’s our full list of “the next 10”:

• $29,477 on 56 bids: 2013-14 Panini Prizm Giannis Antetokounmpo (PSA 10)

• $27,500 on 35 bids: 2015-16 Panini Prizm Tim Duncan Prizm Black, #1/1 (BGS 9.5)

• $26,400 on 64 bids: 2001 Upper Deck SP Authentic Tiger Woods, #552/900, auto (BGS 9.5, auto 10)

• $25,250 on 92 bids: 2013 Upper Deck Employee Exclusive Precious Metal Gems Tiger Woods Purple, #6/125, auto (PSA 9)

• $25,100 on 31 bids: 2021 Panini Absolute Tom Brady Kaboom Gold, #1/10 (PSA 9)

• $25,100 on 71 bids: 2018-19

Panini Flawless Luka Doncic Gold, #6/10, auto (BGS 9, auto 10)

• $24,600 on 31 bids: 2009-10 Topps Chrome Stephen Curry, #108/999 (BGS 9.5)

• $23,700 on 51 bids: 2019-20

Panini Hoops Art Signatures Kobe Bryant and Ja Morant (card ungraded, auto PSA /DNA 10)

• $23,677 on 62 bids: 2008-09 Topps Chrome Tim Duncan Superfractor, #1/1 (BGS 9.5)

• $23,330 on 87 bids: 2006-07 Fleer EX Jambalaya Michael Jordan (BGS 9)