Auction Buzz: Big cards, iconic images & debuts via Heritage

Auction Buzz is a monthly look at some of the variety found out there on the auction block ... check 'em out.

It's going to be a busy second half of the year for Dallas-based Heritage Auctions with a number of regularly scheduled events as well as some showcase auctions with high-profile stuff all on the calendar. This time, we look at a few things from a few active sales this month.

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AS BIG AS IT GETS
The Item: Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs (1/1) -- PSA 6
The Price: $4,150,000 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one has plenty of time remaining but as you can tell it's already one of the biggest monsters to ever hit the auction block -- and that's with the grade that, well, would be a bummer on any other card from the modern era. But, with game-used NBA logos from two of the game's all-time greats and their ink? Well, it's all about the card, not that dinged corner. "Do you hear that rumbling? It's the sound of the standing world record price for a basketball card getting ready to fall," Heritage said in its listing. "For five years, the 2009-10 National Treasures Steph Curry logoman autograph card has enjoyed the view from the top of the heap, the $5.9 million private sale to an investment fund in July 2021 demonstrating the virtually unlimited elasticity of the market's upper edge. ... We're proud and privileged here at Heritage for the opportunity to take the title back for the auction world," Heritage continued, "providing the manner of competition and high drama that private transactions lack, and which serves as a far more fitting tribute to the iconic subjects this remarkable trading card celebrates." ... This one is estimated by Heritage to top the $6-million mark when it's sold.

Keep reading for more interesting pieces up for grabs right now.

THE ICON ... PLUS SOME
The Item: Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps autographed -- PSA 5.5 (8 Auto)
The Price: $410,000 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: A grail card for many, this copy is extraordinary because of that little extra -- that autograph -- and it's estimated to hit $600,000 or more when sold. "The Auto 8 assessment of this blue sharpie application bodes well for its chances at ultimate supremacy, as only one other signed specimen has been graded PSA EX+ 5.5, with none rising higher," said Heritage's listing. "Mantle carefully placed that beautiful signature to avoid intersecting with the key design features of the card while making the autograph as large as possible. The result is a keepsake that will dazzle."

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THE ROOKIE CARD'S ORIGIN
The Item: Mickey Mantle 1951 Type I photograph (8-by-10) used for his 1951 Bowman Rookie Card -- PSA Authentic
The Price: $210,000 after 15 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Some of you might have mistakenly called that last one Mantle's Rookie Card -- it's not -- but this photo was the basis for his 1951 Bowman card which is and will always be The Mick's only RC. Fun things you can see here on the photo? That bat isn't a Mantle model -- it's a Joe Collins -- and the uniform number on his back isn't a seven, it's his original six which he only wore in 1951. This photo is estimated to top $500,000 as one image expert knows of only five original prints. Meanwhile, Heritage sold a different copy for more than $840,000 last year. 

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AN ABSOLUTE MONSTER
The Item: Wilt Chamberlain 1961-62 Fleer Rookie Card -- PSA 10
The Price: $637,500 after 32 bids (ends Aug. 23)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The biggest card for the NBA's big legend in a top grade is a recipe for a monster moment on the auction block later this month as this is expected to top the $1-million mark. This one "is a truly flawless representation, with bold colors, crisp registration, sharp corners and balanced centering" per Heritage and there are only three other copies that have received that mark from PSA.

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A MODERN CLASSIC
The Item: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (early copy) Nintendo 1987 -- CGC 9.4
The Price: $2,300 after 16 bids (ends Aug. 22)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: One perhaps not for the boomer generation, this comes from Heritage's active video game auction and is an early copy of the Nintendo classic -- one that is commanding some good attention despite its age and it not being a sealed copy. "This is the highest-graded first-production copy of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! we've ever offered," reads the Heritage listing, "an exceptional example of one of the NES' most-iconic titles. Its first-production status is identifiable by the white bullet points on the front, a packaging detail that sets it apart from later versions. ... It was the first Nintendo game featuring celebrity licensing, adding to its cultural impact. The box shows only slight corner wear and very light edge wear along the top lid, but it presents beautifully overall."

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WAIT, WHAT?
The Item: Mosasaur fossil skull -- Tylosaurus Proriger, late Cretaceous period (from Ozan Formation, North Sulphur River, Fannin County, Texas)
The Price: $15,000 after one bid (ends Aug. 29)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: If you're a solely connoisseur of the sports and pop culture memorabilia realms, then this might not be for you ... but it's here as a reminder that other collecting fields -- some serious ones -- exist and also can be explored via Heritage. This skull is 43 inches long, was unearthed in 1991 and it comes from a massive prehistoric predator that could have grown as much as 50 feet long when they were around millions of years ago. Here's one estimated look at them and more on these super reptiles of long, long ago -- and here's more on this fossil on video specifically via Heritage. 

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ENDS IN HOURS
The Item: The Incredible Hulk No. 181 (1974) (first full appearance of Wolverine) -- CGC 9.6
The Price: $9,000 after 19 bids (ends in a few hours)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This book is a biggie as it's the first full appearance and cover for one of the top Marvel characters of all time as well as one of the biggest and most-identifiable icons of the Marvel movies today. Speaking of today, depending on when you see this, this book may already be sold. This iconic issue has only 401 copies in this condition and only 161 have checked in higher.  (The highest is a newly graded single 9.9 copy.) While those numbers might perhaps seem high, know that there are more than 19,000 copies of this book slabbed so these top marks are far from easy when it comes to vintage comics. 

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