Picture this: your heart pounding as you anxiously click refresh, your mouse hovering over “Bid Now,” sweat forming on your brow like a high-stakes poker player. Except this isn’t just any game—it’s the online auction of a lifetime, brought to you by the renowned Miller & Miller Auctions.
On June 22nd, prepare to take a digital trip back to the mid-20th century, where legends like Mickey Mantle and Gordie Howe ruled the fields and the ice. This online-only event features 235 lots of pre-1980 sports cards and memorabilia, each piece swimming in nostalgia and sports history.
Front and center is the diamond icon himself, Mickey Mantle. The legendary 1952 Topps #311 Mantle rookie card is making an appearance, ready to create as much buzz online as it did in ‘52 when plucked fresh from wax packs. It’s revered as the holy grail of baseball cards because who wouldn’t want a cardboard slice of such immortality? Even with a PSA 2 Good grade, this card is expected to rake in between $40,000 and $50,000 CAD. Its corners are showing hints of a thousand trading tales, but its surface still shines with the glow of baseball summer nights.
Mantle doesn’t stand alone in the batter’s box of this auction. Also swinging hard are the elusive “High Numbers” from the Topps 1952 Sixth Series. Estate all-stars from #311 Mantle to #407, these aging warriors of cardboard are estimated at a cool $3,000 to $5,000 CAD, offering collectors a chance to score a piece of vintage triumph.
Hop off the diamond and slide onto the ice, where hockey legends await. The 1951 Parkhurst #66 Gordie Howe rookie card is ready to face off, with an estimated win of $8,000 to $10,000 CAD. This PSA 3 Very Good card may not meet museum standards, but Gordie’s grin captures the rare spirit of the 1951-52 Parkhurst set. It’s the crown jewel for those who bleed their team’s colors every chilly morning skate.
Then there’s the incomparable Bobby Orr. His 1966 Topps #35 rookie card is skating into the auction with the elegance of a game-winning goal. Graded KSA 6 Excellent-Near Mint, this card is expected to woo both passionate hockey fans and astute investors, slated for a noble $8,000 to $9,000 CAD.
Don’t forget your protective gear because there’s a slap shot of history coming your way, wrapped in the form of a team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick. Originating from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 1951 Stanley Cup victory, this relic is decked out with Barilko’s treasured number 5 and his teammates’ signatures. It stands as a one-of-a-kind testament to Canada’s hockey lore, estimated to fetch $3,000 to $5,000 CAD.
For the connoisseur whose walls crave stories, the auction offers a dramatic shadow box. Showcasing Parkhurst rookie cards for Maurice and Henri Richard, graded KSA 4 and 3 respectively, it provides a visual playbook of Canadiens pride. It’s landscaped with a Louisville Pro Flex stick signed by both brothers, a Canadiens puck, and a bronze plaque. At $4,000 to $6,000 CAD, it promises to transform any room into a personal shrine to two of hockey’s titans.
And who could forget the gangly marvels that are the 1964-65 Topps “Tall Boys”? This complete set of 110 cards holds legends like Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull in elongated splendor, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000 CAD.
But wait—there’s more on the icy front! An uncut gem, a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee sheet featuring a mint Wayne Gretzky #18 rookie, is poised for a cool sale at $3,500 to $4,500 CAD. Its mere presence is a rare survivor from the past, promising a delightful add to any serious collection.
Miller & Miller’s Consignment Director, Ben Pernfuss, says that the auction is a veritable “who’s who of sports history.” For collectors, it’s an opportunity to bring home key artifacts from the groundbreaking 1951 Parkhurst hockey and 1952 Topps baseball sets featuring championship caliber talent.
So, sports fans and card aficionados alike, polish your glasses, draft your budgets, and ready your virtual paddles. The adrenaline of a live auction may be absent, but the stakes and excitement are very much alive. Visit the Miller & Miller website or join in via LiveAuctioneers, where you can gain ownership of a tangible slice of history without battling aggressive elbows or bidding paddles. What stories relics these will tell—all ready to be discovered at the click of your mouse!