The Post War Cards Newsletter #39
High Grade '55 Topps Clemente's, Bill Walton's Collection, A '73 Rack W/ Carlton Showing, And Find The Reggie Prices
Hobby Hobby Thursday!
⚾️ High Grade 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente Cards
Goldin just sold a PSA 9 graded 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente card for $732k in their Spring 100 auction; it’s a pop 11 card in the grade.
But there is one ranked higher.
In May 2012, SCP Auctions sold it for $436,690 (from the Dmitri Young Collection).
What do you think the 10 would sell for today?
💰 The Personal Collection of Bill Walton at Public Auction
On June 12th, Hunt Auctions completed the sale of Bill Walton’s personal collection (cllct published a great preview ahead of the event). There were some truly remarkable pieces of basketball history up for grabs. The highlights included his 1973-74 UCLA Bruins jersey ($258k), his 1977 Portland Trail Blazers Championship ring ($188k), his 1977-78 NBA Most Valuable Player Award ($176k), and his circa 1977-78 Trail Blazers jersey ($131k). However, as someone of Lithuanian descent, Lot 348 stood out to me the most—it featured a group of Lithuanian Basketball Team-related items that brought back a wave of memories ($640). My sister and I used to wear all those shirts! It's one of those times when the hobby really hits home on a personal level.
Basketball in Lithuania is a second religion, and you can read more about Lithuania’s men’s national basketball team on Wikipedia, and learn more about The Other Dream Team (and Walton’s association) in a documentary film described here.
✍️ Great Hobby Writing
The Topps Archives: Mystery Dating
cllct: Ranking the five best insert sets of the ultra-modern era
Topps Ripped: Celebrating 45 Years of Topps Weird Wheels & Collector Stories | Father and Son Complete 1992 Topps Gold Winners & Collector Stories | Wade Boggs Super Collector Richard Davis
Nine Pockets: Exactly 38 Years Ago, a Crucial Keith Hernandez Error Ruined Their Day
Cardboard Catastrophes: 1961 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 48
⚾️ Unopened Item Of The Week - A 1973 Topps Rack Pack With Steve Carlton On Top
Here’s one you don’t see every day: On May 25th, 4 Sharp Corners sold a 1973 Topps Baseball rack pack featuring Hall of Famer Steve Carlton on top for $1,767.88.
Surprisingly, that feels like a soft sale. In UMR #19, I shared average sales data for '70s rack packs, and my research, based on recent REA and BBCE listings, showed that 1973 Topps packs without stars typically sell for around $2,300.
Consider upgrading your subscription to get the Unopened Market Report.
📝 On The Blog
June 11, 2025: A Closer Look at Goldin’s PSA 10 Graded 1975 Topps Mini Robin Yount
June 12, 2025: The 1965 Topps Red Sox Rookie Stars Bob Guindon Original Artwork
June 13, 2025: The July 1981 Brooklyn Baseball Card Convention
June 14, 2025: Unboxing the Past: A Rare Photo of Larry Fritsch and His Topps Vending Treasure
June 15, 2025: Why REA’s Buyer’s Premium Increase Isn’t Really About the Buyers
June 15, 2025: A Closer Look at Six Venezuelan Baseball Albums in Heritage’s Summer Auction
June 16, 2025: Team Night in Chicago: The 1990-91 Hoops Bulls Sheet Featuring Michael Jordan
June 17, 2025: How Rare Are 1979 Hostess HoHos Baseball Boxes? Rarer Than You Might Think
📰 In The News
Sports Collectors Daily: I-X Nixed: Cleveland Venue That Hosted 8 NSCC Shows to Become Data Center
Yahoo Sports: Goldin bets on pop culture with acquisition of Studio Auctions
eBay: eBay Launches Livestream Shopping Tour Across the U.S.
Sports Collectors Digest: Fanatics to unveil $200 million Museum of Greatness card, memorabilia exhibit at Fanatics Fest NYC
Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Arkansas memorabilia dealer released from prison but may not be home yet
Panini: USA Baseball and Panini America Usher in a New Era With Third Partnership Extension
Baseball America: Fanatics Fest 2025 Returns To NYC With Exclusive Baseball Cards, Celebrity Athletes & More
Action News 5: FedEx employee accused of stealing packages with jewelry, gold bars, vintage baseball cards
Hawk Central: Two Caitlin Clark rookie basketball cards sell for more than $200,000 on the same day
⚾️ Find The Reggie Prices
I’ve always loved the 1990 Upper Deck “Find The Reggie” autograph insert. Back in newsletter #23, I shared auto number 714/2500, which Reggie signed in honor of Babe Ruth. That one surfaced just a few months ago. So when a PSA-graded copy popped up on eBay recently, I added it to my watchlist out of curiosity. It sold for $425.03, which felt a little soft, but it is housed in an old PSA flip.
As I wrote in my blog post on the card, PSA’s pop report is a little tricky to decipher, so I dug into the numbers across all the grading companies and tracked historical sales to get a better sense of the card’s long-term popularity—and inflation 😉
The result? Surprisingly steady growth over time. It’s a great card, no doubt, but I expected a bigger spike during the peak of the hobby boom. Instead, the biggest price jumps have occurred in just the past couple of years.
Happy collecting!