FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
An Extraordinary Pele Rookie Card, a Newly Discovered PSA EX-MT 6 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, and a Joe Montana Signed 1989 49ers Game-Worn Photo-Matched Jersey Headline Lelands 2023 Summer Classic Auction
A Hank Aaron 1954 MLB Debut Ticket Stub, an Ernie Davis 1960 Syracuse University Game-Worn Photo-Matched Jersey, and Steph Curry Signed 2011 Warriors Game-Used Photo-Matched Sneakers also Featured in Auction, Which Closes August 5
Babe Ruth’s Yankees Sale Documents Collection among Additional Highlights
New York, NY, July 17, 2023 – One of the top-graded and most exceptional Pele rookie cards in existence, a newly discovered PSA EX-MT 6 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, and a spectacular 1989 Joe Montana 49ers signed game-worn photo-matched jersey headline the Lelands 2023 Summer Classic Auction, which runs through August 5.
The exquisite 1958 Alifabolaget #635 Pele Rookie Brazil National Team card being offered here has been graded and encapsulated by PSA NM+ 7.5. The rookie card was issued when Pele was a 17-year-old breakout star who led Brazil to the World Cup title that year. According to the PSA population report, a total of 120 Pele rookie cards have been graded with only 15 attaining a higher grade.
The 1952 Topps Baseball #311 Mickey Mantle PSA EX-MT 6 up for bid is an outstanding example of the hobby’s most iconic postwar baseball card. Of the 1,813 examples of this card listed in the PSA Population Report, only 121 have received a higher grade. A total of 122 have been graded at this level, meaning that this card ranks in the top 8% of all PSA-graded 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards.
The superb signed Joe Montana 49ers game-worn photo-matched jersey up for auction was worn by the Hall of Fame quarterback in the December 11, 1989 comeback win against the Rams. In the game, Montana recorded the second-highest passing yards (458) game of his career to go along with three touchdowns. This jersey, which is signed on the back number “1,” is an elite offering from an elite competitor.
Additional auction centerpieces include a 1954 Hank Aaron Major League debut ticket stub PSA EX5 (Pop 1 of 2 highest graded), a 1960 Ernie Davis Syracuse University game-worn photo-matched jersey – likely the most highly documented Davis game-used jersey in the hobby – and a rare pair of game-worn sneakers from Steph Curry’s second year in the NBA, specifically to January 12, 2011 when the Warriors superstar notched his first career double-double against Kobe Bryant.
The auction also boasts another incredible collection of rare documents directly related to Babe Ruth’s 1919 sale from the Red Sox to the Yankees – the most important transaction in sports history. The deal changed baseball forever, altered the fortunes of both teams for decades and created a larger-than-life figure in Ruth. Among the offerings are two cancelled promissory notes, one connected to the Ruth sale and the financing of Yankee Stadium, the other from the Yankees to the Red Sox for the Ruth sale; as well as a Harry Frazee promissory note directly tied to the Ruth sale with related correspondence. Regarding Ruth’s signed contract itself, Lelands sold it for $2.3 million at auction in 2017.
Among other auction highlights are a circa 1951 Jackie Robinson signed original photograph used for his 1953 Topps card to teammate Bill Cox (PSA Type 1), Jackie Robinson 1954 handwritten letters to an obsessed female fan, a 1948 Johnny Mize New York Giants game-worn jersey, one of the finest known Thurman Munson single-signed baseballs (graded PSA 8.5 overall), a Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Mariners rookie signed game-worn jersey and signed game-used bat with rookie signature (PSA GU 9.5), and Barry Bonds HR #25 game-used photo-matched bat from his 2001 historic 73 home run season (PSA GU 9.5 and Resolution Photomatching).
The auction also includes Bob Wolf’s 1971 Bucks World Championship Ring, a 1788 George Washington signed and hand-addressed free frank envelope to James Madison regarding Virginia’s ratification of the Constitution (PSA), Matthew Stafford’s 2019 game-worn jersey from when he broke the NFL record for fastest to 40,000 passing yards, and a 1956 Topps Series 2 Printing Blanket with two Mickey Mantle cards – possibly the only known Series 2 Sheet.
Additional auction highlights include:
Boxing great Julio Caesar Chavez’s 1989 WBC Light Welterweight Championship title belt
A pair of Michael Jordan personally worn and signed 1991 Nike Air Jordan sneakers
A 1981 Michael Jordan signed high school yearbook
A Secretariat lock of hair
2000 Tom Brady rookie Patriots practice-worn shorts (earliest known Brady NFL-worn relic)
A 1988-89 Ron Francis Whalers game-worn photo-matched jersey, and
A 1919 World Champion Cincinnati Reds game-used bat collection
For more information about the Lelands 2023 Summer Classic Auction, visit https://lelands.com.
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ABOUT LELANDS
Established in 1985, Lelands is the world’s first sports memorabilia and card auction house, and the premier appraisers and authenticators in the entire sports hobby. Its founder, the late Josh Leland Evans, was a pioneer in the field and acknowledged by his peers as the most knowledgeable figure in sports memorabilia. Renowned in his own right, Evans’s long-time partner Michael Heffner continues Lelands’ four decade tradition of personal customer service and maximizing results for clients. Lelands has handled many of the largest landmark auctions, achieving world-record prices for countless cards and iconic memorabilia including a Tom Brady rookie card ($3.1 million), Babe Ruth's 1927 Yankees World Series ring ($2.09 million), Ruth’s 1919 "Curse of the Bambino" signed contract ($2.3 million), and a 1920 Ruth Yankees jersey ($4.5 million). For more information, visit https://lelands.com.
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