Goldin Auctions ‘October Legends’ Is now open for Bidding: some great pre-war items

[Goldin Auctions]

While Game Used material and other memorabilia is the first thing that many collectors think of when Goldin Auctions comes to mind, for this auction we have an amazing collection of 19th Century Cards included in the "Cambridge Collection", an ultra rare M101-6 Felix Mendelsohn Joe Jackson, the All Time Finest 1939 Play Ball set (PSA Registry Hall of Fame set) and plenty of other cards for the hobby.
http://goldinauctions.com/catalog.aspx
Bidding was set to begin at 6am, but we opened a couple hours early due to coverage from ESPN http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9764571/pete-rose-gambling-checks-head-auction
if you watch the video, after the 1961 integration of baseball documents the Cambridge Collection of 19th century cards is shown.
If you have never registered with Goldin Auctions feel free to do so online ( https://goldinauctions.com/adduser.aspx )or by calling our office at: 856-767-8550. Thank you for your consideration.

[barrysloate]

That "Cambridge Collection" certainly is interesting, and brings back some memories. In 2001, I actually met with the original owner's daughter in NYC and had a chance to review the albums in person. At the time the family was on the fence and ultimately decided not to sell them. I'm glad they finally did, and wish them good luck with the sale. It was fascinating to see so many original cards that had never really seen the light of day since the 1880's. Great stuff.

[cyseymour]

That "Cambridge Collection" certainly is interesting, and brings back some memories. In 2001, I actually met with the original owner's daughter in NYC and had a chance to review the albums in person. At the time the family was on the fence and ultimately decided not to sell them. I'm glad they finally did, and wish them good luck with the sale. It was fascinating to see so many original cards that had never really seen the light of day since the 1880's. Great stuff.

The thing that disappoints me is that I wish the collection was broken up into several lots so that more people could bid on it. There are cards in there that I would like to own, especially the Williamson and Mascot, and possibly the King Kelly, but they are part of such a large lot that I could never participate. I bet that a lot of other OJ collectors on this board feel the same way. It is great for the multi-millionaire but not so good for the small collector who would just like one particular card.

[barrysloate]

There's a reasonable chance the new owner might want to remove the cards from the albums and break them into groups. Depends on who wins it. The family chose to keep it intact.

[cyseymour]

There's a reasonable chance the new owner might want to remove the cards from the albums and break them into groups. Depends on who wins it. The family chose to keep it intact.

The family may not have fully understood the ramifications of their decision. Probably they are leaving money on the table, as well. I understand that it has good provenance, but it does lock out a lot of bidders. Maybe Goldin didn't have a choice, or were unable to convince the family otherwise, but it is a shame for the 90+ percent of OJ collectors who won't be able to bid.

[kengoldin]

We had to honor the family's request to keep the collection together, and we believe from a pure historical perspective the complete collection is worth more then the sum of it parts.
While it would be nice to think one collector would keep the 2 books and 2200 card collection intact, unless the right buyer wins it, I am going to assume it is a good possibility that you will see individual cards from the collection for sale privately and by other auction houses in the future.

In addition, I wanted to point out whoever wins the collection if it is their desire to slab cards will have our help with grading company of their choosing to have the individual cards pedigreed as "Cambridge Collection"

Finally, a special 'thank you' to the well respected Net 54 member who helped my staff accurately describe the collection

[cyseymour]

We had to honor the family's request to keep the collection together, and we believe from a pure historical perspective the complete collection is worth more then the sum of it parts.
While it would be nice to think one collector would keep the 2 books and 2200 card collection intact, unless the right buyer wins it, I am going to assume it is a good possibility that you will see individual cards from the collection for sale privately and by other auction houses in the future.

Ok, thanks Ken. Appreciate your responsiveness. Good luck with the auction.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Those N28s are huge compared to some of the examples you see in holders.

[Cardboard Junkie]

Those N28s are huge compared to some of the examples you see in holders.

You mean the numerically graded trimmed ones I presume.

[oldjudge]

Unfortunately, all the cards will have back damage if removed, so they will grade very low. This is especially significant for the cards that are not blank backed.

[Peter_Spaeth]

You mean the numerically graded trimmed ones I presume.

I mean the numerically graded ones that the TPGs think are original. Trimmed? Hush now, how could that be? Too hard to prove.

[Louis Bollman]

As the person that dealt directly with the family that consigned The Cambridge Collection I thought that I should weigh in this subject.

Despite the fact that this hobby has been my livelihood for my entire adult life I have always been, and always will be, a collector at heart. When I first saw the images that were emailed to Goldin Auctions regarding this collection, as someone working for an auction house, I felt just as some of you and that the collection could/should be broken up. I felt this way for two reasons: 1) potential break value and 2) it would look great spread out in the catalog. Upon seeing the collection in person I was struck with the revelation that I was looking at (and holding) something that I had never seen before and would likely never see again. The collector in me wanted badly to attempt to cut a deal for purchase and keep the collection together. To reiterate what Ken said earlier, when viewed in it's entirety, a collector must come to the conclusion that these albums are much more valuable than the sum of their parts.

When speaking with the family I completely removed the voice of my inner collector from the equation and made sure that they fully understood the ramifications and benefits to each possible option with regards to the financial outcome. I personally spent two full days with the family (several weeks apart) with many emails and hours of phone calls in between. After the first visit they were considering a partial break-up of the collection. It was while the family discussed the sale, with me over 1,000 miles away, they made a clear and firm decision to keep the albums intact. The consignors are the surviving children of a very proud family who's roots in this country can be traced back to the original settlers. They understand what could possibly happen with the albums once the sale is complete however from their perspective, as the designated curators of this incredible collection, the integrity of this heirloom was preserved while it was in their care. There was not a single option, along with the outcome, that wasn't explained to them. They discussed the sale as a family and had a consensus that this was the way they wanted it handled, so that the collection was as intact as possible; as their father had left it.

Louis Bollman
Goldin Auctions

[cyseymour]

To reiterate what Ken said earlier, when viewed in it's entirety, a collector must come to the conclusion that these albums are much more valuable than the sum of their parts.


Ken just said that they were worth more together from a historical perspective, he didn't say that they were worth more from a financial perspective. He continued on to opine that there is a "a good possibility that you will see individual cards from the collection for sale privately and by other auction houses in the future." That can only be because presumably, the cards might go for lesser value as an entire collection than if they were broken up.

i really don't have any vendetta against Goldin Auctions. I would like to register. But I'll only register if there's a card I actually want for my collection, logically. Finally, the cards came, but I can't bid on them. Estates such as this one are commonly broken up, at least to some extent. LOTG just broke up a recent find. REA broke up an OJ Cincinnati find so that people could bid on the McPhee cards separately. It is not unprecedented.

Now, of course, you and Ken are agents for the consigner, and your interests lie in promoting your product, as it should. I understand that. It is probably too late, but one thing that Mile High did for their current auction is divided a 300-win collection so that bidders can bid either individually or on the collection as a whole. Good work Mile High. Whether your auction software can support that, whether it is too late as the auction has already begun, or whether you and/or the consigner would be willing to do such a thing is an entirely different matter.

[kengoldin]

The choose to break up the collection or not, or even sell 'key pages' separately was not afforded to Goldin Auctions. As a result, the point is moot.

The businessman in me would have liked to be afforded the choice to at least break it up into more affordable groupings. This would, in my opinion, maximize auction price, as well as allow collectors to bid on what they need for their collections. The collector in Louis loved the concept of an entire collection passing down to a new owner.

In this case, while Louis is a consignment director for Goldin Auctions, part of the job does not require he shares my opinions! In any event, the collection is being sold 'as a collection' and we hope the new owner loves it, and we are thrilled to be involved as the auction house of choice by the family.

[cyseymour]

Okay, thanks Ken. I find it authentic that you guys do not agree on everything. It was just that he had written "To reiterate what Ken said earlier, when viewed in it's entirety, a collector must come to the conclusion that these albums are much more valuable than the sum of their parts." Which wasn't what you actually said, so I'm glad that's clarified.

Good luck and congrats on getting the awesome consignment. From what I've seen, you guys have drawn good prices so far. Cool collection.

[RCMcKenzie]

Unless there are other cards not pictured, I think the piece is more interesting as a historical, intact document, than cut-up, soaked, slabbed pieces. The "Large" N28 cards are probably cut from a poster. If I was the high bidder (and I won't be) I'd leave it 'as is' and place it in a drawer.

[barrysloate]

As someone who ran auctions for years, it was my responsibility to offer the consignor all the possible options regarding the disposal their collection. But in the end it's the consignor who makes that decision. The family wanted it intact; if the cards were loose it would be easy to make groups. But they are glued into albums and have been for 125 years. If the new owner wants to remove them from the album, he is free to do so. But there is a high probability that nearly every card will have a technical grade of Poor. Maybe that is less appealing than leaving them as is. We shall see.

[Joe_G.]

What an awesome collection! The highlight at the National for me was viewing the contents. I suspect high bidder will keep a relatively small portion and the remainder will re-surface on the market in one form or another.

[pete zouras]

sorry to dredge up an old post, but did anyone notice how on some of the cambridge collection album pages it looks like there were trying to spell out something? "I H F", "F B A", and "G A". Was a possible meaning to the initials ever discussed? Just curious. Thanks