Record prices for Hank Aaron cards
 

Am I the only one surprised to see a 1960 Topps Hank Aaron PSA 9 sitting at over 42k in the Memory Lane auction? A Mantle from the same year and grade, same auction, is sitting at less than 32k. A similar Aaron sold last month for "just" 19k.

There are quite a few high grade Aarons in this auction, and I'm pretty amazed by the prices of all of them. I have never heard of an Aaron card selling for that much more than a Mantle from the same year. Is there something I'm missing?

The Aaron card is a known rarity, with only about eight cards gaining a PSA 9, while the Mantle has around 25-30, I believe, in 9. That said, there were just silly prices for several cards, especially many of the Aaron's -- even some that are not hard to find in 9. For example, the '71 Aaron went for over $14,000, plus the 20%. The '63 Aaron went for 9-10 thousand, and that card has been available for less than 3 thousand, quite recently. The'62 Mays they had in PSA 9 (granted, a very nice one) went for about $30,000 total, while one sold a couple of weeks ago on Ebay for less than $10,000. Apparently, Memory Lane has a few loyal, tunnel-visioned, very deep-pocketed and runaway-ego-laden people bidding. Guys who probably like the idea of wasting money, of smearing their importance in the faces of everyone else. It might make sense to tip-toe around Big Auctions, especially Memory Lane's, for awhile.

Memory Lane does attract a very high-end, well-heeled clientele.

I watched the 1953 Bowman Mantle PSA 8 that reached 18k all in, and the 1965 Mantle PSA 9 that reached 20k.

That makes sense with the difference in population. Although I attributed some of that to the fact that so many more Mantles have been submitted than Aarons. I didn't look up other years, but would assume this to be true in the them as well. Mantle's cards still sell for a significant premium in other sets and grades. Maybe that's about to change, or maybe two Aaron collectors just both really wanted these cards. Either way, I was surprised by the number of Aaron cards selling for 25k plus.

Well said. Wall Street has taken over the high end.

peter more like the hollywood crowd ,,,

I knew of one collector, who had a very extensive/expensive collection, that would only deal with auction houses and well known dealers. He would not buy from eBay. Ever.

That said, the Aaron is a tough card to find centered. A thing of beauty it is as well .....

People with big money, whether they work on Wall Street or in Hollywood, can collect, too.

Maybe both but some of the (alleged) manipulation I see going on looks more like financial than Hollywood types.

I know there will eventually be a trickle down to Aaron's lesser graded cards, but I hope it holds off a while as I continue to add his cards to my collection.

I also have been noticing a lot of movement on Hank Aaron rookie cards on Ebay of late.

Its crazy what some people will pay based on the population report. I remember seeing a common 86-87 fleer basketball card in a psa 10 sell for like 6k just because there was only like a population of 2 10's.

Still feel the '54 Johnston Cookies is a hugely under-valued and under-rated card. Actually most Aaron cards in mid-grade can be great buys.

Makes me think that his 55 card will go up in value.........

You are spot on Brian! Time to buy or get a '55 Aaron.