Laguna Niguel, Calif. (May 18, 2022) – SCP Auctions’ 2022 Spring Premier Auctions is off to the races, with the only Kobe Bryant game worn jersey ever to be photomatched to his rookie season playoffs, the only known Kobe autographed 1997 Skybox Metal Universe PMG, a PSA NM-MT 8 1951 Bowman Mantle rookie, a signed 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 card, and much, much more. Bidding on the 916 lots began Wednesday, May 18th and will conclude Saturday, June 4th at www.SCPauctions.com.
From the Kobe jersey to a pair of playoff games during the Mamba’s rookie season is the headliner of SCP’s sale this time around. May 8 and 10, 1997 were Games 3 and 4 of the Lakers’ Western Conference Semifinals matchup with the Utah Jazz, and part of the first NBA playoffs Kobe ever participated in. The purple and gold threads have been photomatched to these two games and to the two regular-season games April 13 and 17 of that year. Most experts agree that the jersey was worn during the end of Bryant’s rookie season, as well as in all home playoff games that year.
Many more iconic Kobe items are being offered in the auction, including the sole known signed example of Kobe’s highly sought-after PMG. Numbered 60/100 and authenticated by PSA and is the first and only known example ever offered publicly. It could very well be the only one that exists, period.
The auction is chock full of other premium modern cards. These include the only PSA 10 example of a 2002 SP Game Used Kobe/Jordan dual-auto card and a PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 2000 Bowman Chrome Tom Brady rookie refractor.
A variety of high-end vintage cards are featured in the sale as well. A 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie graded PSA NM-MT 8, a 1934 Goudey #37 Lou Gehrig PSA NM-MT 8, an autographed 1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth card, and a 1970 Topps Pete Rose PSA 10 are just a few of the vintage cardboard treasures sprinkled throughout.
On the memorabilia side of the sale, the first Scotty Cameron Newport victory putter ever created for Tiger Woods following his 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship win is offered. The putter comes to auction at the right time, as the market for rare Woods memorabilia is heating up. Barry Bonds’ historic 715th home run ball is also available in the sale. The historic blast moved Bonds ahead of Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list.
For soccer memorabilia enthusiasts, SCP is presenting an early career Diego Maradona match worn, signed and inscribed Boca Juniors game used jersey.
For game used bat collectors, SCP’s Spring Premier has something for you, too. A 1920-22 Babe Ruth game-used H&B bat from the beginning of his Yankee tenure comes to the auction. The massive 44-ounce stick was given a PSA/DNA 8.5 for game use. Another huge bat being offered is a Mark McGwire game-used club from his record 70 home run season in 1998. The PSA/DNA GU 10 bat was also Resolution photomatched to two games from that year.
Other significant and important game-used items offered include a pair of dual-signed Adidas sneakers worn by Kobe during his rookie season, a 2021-22 LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers gamer photomatched to two games combining for 72 points, Kobe’s 2004 autographed NBA All Star kicks, and a pair of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shoes photomatched to a massive victory during the Bucks’ 2020-21 championship season.
SCP is honored to present one of the top vintage baseball advertising sign collections in the hobby, the Capital Vintage Baseball Advertising Collection. In the early years of the 20th century all the way through the 1950s, baseball’s most famous players graced everything from trolley cars to window displays as they served as spokesmen for products. Extremely rare pieces such as a one-of-a-kind C. 1910 Christy Mathewson Tuxedo Tobacco box proof and a C. 1910 Walter Johnson Tuxedo Tobacco trolley car sign are being presented.
A handful of monster tickets from incredible games in sports lore have also been consigned to SCP for the auction. None are bigger than a stub from Jackie Robinson’s MLB debut to break baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Also being presented are a 1979 NCAA basketball semifinal stub signed by Magic and Bird, a full unused and autographed ticket from Kobe’s final farewell game in 2016, and a variety of others.
Several rare and historic PSA/DNA Type 1 original photographs have been consigned to SCP. These lots include two different original shots taken in 1920 by legendary photographer Paul Thompson of Babe Ruth during his first season with the Yankees, a 1947 Jackie Robinson photo taken the day of his rookie debut, and more. In all, over 100 original photo lots grace this auction’s catalog.
Highly significant and valuable championship jewelry rounds out the premium sale. An enormous 2018 New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII championship ring, Cortez Kennedy’s 2010 New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV ring, and DeShawn Stevenson’s 2011 Dallas Mavericks NBA championship ring are sure to dazzle bidders during this sale.
Auction Highlights
- Recently Uncovered 1996-97 Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers Game Worn Rookie Home Jersey Photomatched to 5 Games Incl. 2 Playoff Games - ONLY KNOWN KOBE ROOKIE JERSEY MATCHED TO PLAYOFFS! – $3,000,000-$5,000,000
- Freshly Graded 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #81 Kobe Bryant (60/100) - PSA AA, MINT 9 AUTO - THE ONLY KNOWN AUTOGRAPHED KOBE PMG IN THE HOBBY! — $500,000-$1,000,000
- High End 1951 Bowman #253 Mickey Mantle Rookie - PSA NM-MT 8 — $400,000-$500,000+
- 1933 GOUDEY #181 BABE RUTH AUTOGRAPHED CARD - PSA AUTHENTIC, AUTO 7 — $250,000+
- 1920-22 Babe Ruth Game Used H&B Professional Model Bat - A MASSIVE 44 OZ. CLUB FROM THE BEGINNING OF RUTH'S YANKEE TENURE AND BASEBALL'S MOST TRANSFORMATIVE ERA - PSA/DNA GU8.5— $200,000+
- Historic May 28, 2006 Barry Bonds 715th Home Run Baseball - PASSES BABE RUTH ON THE MLB ALL-TIME HR LIST! (MLB AUTHENTIC) — $200,000+
- 1934 Goudey #37 Lou Gehrig - PSA NM-MT 8 — $100,000+
- 1934 Goudey #61 Lou Gehrig - PSA NM-MT 8 — $100,000+
- Massive 2018 New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII Champions 10K Gold Ring Issued To Jeremy Hill - 9.85 TOTAL CARATS! — $100,000+
- 2021-22 LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers Game Worn Jersey Photomatched to Two Games Combining For 72 Points! — $100,000+
- Coveted 1996-97 Kobe Bryant Dual-Signed Los Angeles Lakers Rookie Season Game Worn Adidas Sneakers (PSA/DNA LOA) — $100,000+
- Monumental April 15, 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers Opening Day Ticket Stub - JACKIE ROBINSON MLB DEBUT TO BREAK BASEBALL'S COLOR BARRIER! - PSA AUTHENTIC (POP 5, ONLY 3 RATED HIGHER) — $100,000+
- Tiger Woods Personal 1996 U.S. Amateur Champion Scotty Cameron Newport Putter - FIRST VICTORY PUTTER EVER CREATED FOR TIGER WOODS! (SCOTTY CAMERON LETTER OF PROVENANCE) — $100,000+
- 2000 Bowman Chrome #236 Tom Brady Rookie Refractor - PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 — $80,000-$100,000
- Extremely Rare 2019 Daka Borussia Dortmund #EH Erling Haaland New Signings (1/1) - PSA NM 7, AUTHENTIC AUTO - FOREIGN TEXT ON REVERSE — $80,000-$100,000+
- 2002 SP Game Used #MJ/KB Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan Extra Significance Dual Auto. - PSA GEM MINT 10 (POP 1 OF 1, HIGHEST GRADED EXAMPLE!) — $75,000-$100,000+
- 1955 Topps Baseball PSA Graded Complete Set Of (206) With 7.93 GPA & Ranked #15 On PSA Registry - ALL PSA NM-MT 8 OR HIGHER WITH ONLY TWO CARDS BELOW PSA NM-MT 8 — $75,000+
- 1959 Topps Baseball PSA Graded Complete Master Set (572 + 9 Variations) With 8.06 GPA & Ranked #10 On PSA Registry - ALL PSA NM-MT 8 OR HIGHER WITH ONLY TWO CARDS BELOW NM-MT 8 — $60,000+
- 1970 Topps #580 Pete Rose - PSA GEM MINT 10 — $60,000+
- 1972 Topps #559 Pete Rose - PSA GEM MINT 10 — $60,000+
- Rare & Historic 1981 Diego Maradona Match Worn, Signed & Inscribed Boca Juniors Shirt — $50,000-$75,000+
- 1914 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson - PSA FR 1.5 — $50,000+
- 1998 Flair Showcase Legacy Collection #2M Kobe Bryant 1/1 Masterpiece Row 2 - PSA AUTHENTIC — $50,000+
- Cortez Kennedy's 2010 New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Champions 14k Gold Ring — $40,000+
- 1958 Topps #62 Jim Brown Rookie - PSA NM-MT 8 — $40,000+
- 1998 Mark McGwire Game Used Signed & Inscribed Adirondack Bat From His Record 70-HR Season - PSA/DNA GU 10, LA RUSSA LOA & RESOLUTION PHOTOMATCHED TO TWO GAMES! — $40,000+
- Circa 1910 Walter Johnson Tuxedo Tobacco Trolley Car Advertising Sign - EXTREMELY RARE! — $30,000+
- 1924 Chamonix Winter Olympic Games 2nd Place Winner's Silver Medal Awarded To Finnish Biathlete Vaino Bremer — $25,000+
- 1979 NCAA Basketball Semi-Finals Ticket Stub Signed By Larry Bird & Magic Johnson - PSA AUTHENTIC, 10 AUTOS! — $25,000+
- 1920 Babe Ruth "Home Run Swing" 1st Season With Yankees Original Photograph By Paul Thompson - PSA/DNA TYPE 1 — $25,000+
- 1920 Babe Ruth "First Leg Home Run Journey" 1st Season With Yankees Original Photograph By Paul Thompson - PSA/DNA TYPE 1 — $20,000+
- One Of A Kind Circa 1910 Christy Mathewson Tuxedo Tobacco Box Proof Advertising Display - THE MONA LISA OF BASEBALL ADVERTISING SIGNS! — $15,000+
For more information, visit www.SCPauctions.com or call (949) 831-3700.
