Update: The ring sold for $2,093,926, while the contract sold for $2,303,319.

--

"Wild Thing" is cashing in.

Babe Ruth's 1927 World Series ring is on the auction block and its owner, actor Charlie Sheen, is closing in on a seven-figure payday with more than three days remaining before the Lelands.com auction closes on this and one other very, very big piece of memorabilia from MLB history.

"We have sold and seen many great pieces of sports memorabilia in our nearly 50 years in the hobby," reads the auction house listing. "But this is without a doubt the finest piece of all."

Continue reading →

It shouldn't exist -- and that's why it fetched six-figures at auction.

What you see here is a near-complete box of 1948 Bowman baseball cards -- packs that originally cost just a nickel apiece back in the day when kids ate the gum and, if they cared, had a shot at Yogi Berra, Stan Musial, Warren Spahn and Bob Feller Rookie Cards.

This rarity hit the auction block not long ago and finally sold via Mile High Card Co. last week.

Continue reading →

If the season ended today, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge would win the Triple Crown.

As a rookie.

With two homers on Sunday -- one a highlight-reel worthy 496-foot shot -- he upped his mark to 21 this season and that goes right alongside a .344 batting average and 47 RBI. Will the Triple Crown pace continue? Who knows, but the power is a barometer of baseball card potential and he's on pace to be among the best rookies in MLB history.

He's on pace to top the 40-homer mark and that's been done just one other time by a rookie. Even if he struggles some, by season's end he's likely to be very close to -- if not among -- the top 10 sluggers for most home run seasons by a rookie.

Continue reading →

The Force isn't very strong with this one, but The Farce is huge.

The helmet that Rick Moranis wore as "Dark Helmet" in the 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs is up for sale now via Profiles in History, a Calabasas, Calif.-based auction house.

The prop from the Mel Brooks film is estimated to sell for as much as $12,000 -- and it's almost there with nearly three weeks remaining in the auction.

Continue reading →

If you're a younger collector, you may not know the name, but the memorabilia of a long-time (and Hall of Fame honored) sports writer is headed to the auction block.

He's Bill Madden -- fun fact for collectors is that he literally helped Donruss build its roster of Rated Rookies in 1984 Donruss -- and a number of his treasures will be sold next week.

Among the more than 400 lots will be photos, programs, signed items, signed books, press pins and more from some of the biggest names in MLB history.

Continue reading →

Update (June 11): The shoes sold for $190,373 after the auction closed this weekend.

They're not Air Jordans but they're already in some rare air as an SCP Auctions clock counts down.

They're Michael Jordan’s game-worn and dual-signed Converse shoes from the 1984 Olympics -- specifically the gold-medal-winning-game against Spain -- and they're on the auction block and already have set a record for a pair of game-used shoes. And that's with more than two days remaining before the auction closes.

How much?

Continue reading →

You've probably seen the highlight reel of Scooter Gennett's four-homer, 10-RBI game for the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night but you may not realize how rare the feat is -- or how rare his baseball cards might be.

He's just the 17th player ever to hit four homers in a game -- nobody has ever hit five -- and he's the first in the rich history of the Reds to do it. The last? Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton back in 2012. It's a club that includes five Hall of Famers -- Ed Delahanty, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Willie Mays and Mike Schmidt -- and sluggers Rocky Colavito, Bob Horner and Mark Whiten among others.

Now, about Gennett's baseball cards ...

Continue reading →

It was 50 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play and one of the faces you can see on the famed cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band above can be yours.

No, seriously, one of the props on that cover of The Beatles' iconic album that dropped in the United States on this day in 1967 is available in the newest Heritage Auctions sale running now until June 17.

Continue reading →

Update: The jersey sold for $45,578.40 after eight bids.

--

How priceless are the pinstripes of the hottest New York Yankee?

We'll find out soon as the game-used jersey worn during Aaron Judge's first career grand slam from May 28 is on the auction block.

Continue reading →

It's been more than 16 years since the baseball world lost "Pops," aka Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, at age 61.

During a lengthy big-league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was a World Series champ, a National League MVP and even Sports Illustrated's Man of the Year -- and all those awards and more are up for grabs via SCP Auctions right now.

And there are even some impressive yet unusual items that some baseball fans might not even know about also available in the sale.

Continue reading →

In the sports world, player-used equipment bags aren't exactly prime material.

But a Neil Armstrong/Buzz Aldrin-used lunar sample bag from Apollo 11 with some moon dust still inside?

Well, Sotheby's expects it could fetch as much as $4 million.

Continue reading →

The Deadman has hit eBay.

The first Topps autographs signed by future WWE Hall of Famer Undertaker -- just the third certified autographs of his career -- have arrived in boxes of 2017 Topps WWE and the asking price for the first card to hit the auction site has a jaw-dropping Buy-It-Now price.

Continue reading →

Update (June 11): This card sold for $609,294 at auction.

--

A low-grade Honus Wagner T206 baseball card with a lengthy lineage in the hobby is hitting the auction block as part of a meaty collection of vintage cardboard.

The J. Ross Greene Collection will be handled by SCP Auctions later this month and it includes "a lifetime accumulation of cards and memorabilia honoring diamond and gridiron greats from the turn of the century to the modern era" and "boasts more than 100,000 pre-war and post-war baseball and football cards" with many of them in runs of complete sets.

Continue reading →

With 10 homers last month, New York Yankees rookie outfielder Aaron Judge tied the major-league record for newcomers -- a mark set by Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies last year.

Judge and Story are different stories when it comes to baseball cards, though, as the Yankee is readily available -- and has been for years -- on MLB cardboard and has plenty of autographs and Rookie Cards with more on the way. (Yes, Story also had ink and prospect cards -- about 40 autos -- before his arrival last season, but he wasn't a big-market, can't-miss guy who took his time to arrive with his presence in most prospect products before that time came. That's Judge.)

Sure, it's a long season, but right now Judge is a runaway to win the American League Rookie of the Year award with his homer total doubling the next-closest rookie and his 20 RBI in 22 games also leading all newcomers. He's also hitting .303 so far, which ain't shabby as he was a career .278 hitter in the minors. And, again, collectors (and dealers) benefit from this start as he's got plenty of cards -- new and old.

Continue reading →

This probably looks like many other NBA game programs from the late 1970s and early 1980s but it's very different than other simple pieces of memorabilia picked up at a game from the past.

It's from a Washington Bullets game -- the cover showcases the visiting team in this case -- played on Oct. 26, 1984, and it's on the block now via Steiner Auctions.

Why?

Continue reading →

MLB's founding documents are hitting the auction block this spring as SCP Auctions is handling yet another historic sale.

This time, it's a 74-page hand-written artifact -- the original constitution of The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs -- that outlines its objectives. Among them are to "encourage, foster and elevate the game of baseball, enact and enforce proper rules for the exhibition and conduct of the game, to make baseball playing respectable and honorable, to protect and promote the mutual interests of professional baseball clubs and professional baseball players and to establish and regulate the 'Baseball Championship of the United States.'"

This follows the sale of the 1857 “Laws of Base Ball” for $3.26 million one year ago today by the Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based company

Continue reading →

Update: The auction ended at $382,500.

--

A 20-page typed speech with hand-written notes by Martin Luther King Jr. is on the auction block.

The speech was delivered on July 6, 1965, in Chicago and included what is believed to be King's first public statement of a phrase that became known very well as part of the civil rights movement, "we shall overcome." In fact, that famous phrase ends the speech and is hand-written as part of a one-page addition to the prepared comments, which have been collected and bound.

Although it is not signed, the book is expected to sell for more than $500,000 via Goldin Auctions, which notes that other original past King speech manuscripts "have been appraised in the millions" and that the owner of the "I Have a Dream" speech has turned down $5 million.

Continue reading →

Vintage concert posters can be big, big business with iconic artists' psychedelic promotions of the 1960s a particular focus for many.

CGC, which is known for grading comic books, also grades concert posters, handbills and postcards, helping collectors weed out bad examples of posters and helps show the elite pieces on a 10-point scale.

Continue reading →

This sealed box of 1961-62 Fleer basketball cards really shouldn't exist at this point more than 50 years after it was made, but it does and it's worth a tad more than its original price of just $1.20.

(Yep, that was just $1.20 for the whole box.)

It will be selling for a tad more than that soon as it's among many high-end items up for grabs in the current Robert Edward Auction. How much?

Continue reading →

There will be a new player in comic book auctions soon.

Runnemede, N.J.-based Goldin Auctions -- the collectible industry's fastest-growing auction house with $25 million in sales last year -- is launching a comic division and is seeking a knowledgeable and motivated individual with industry experience to be its consignment director and category manager.

Continue reading →

"Here comes the money."

That might not be the typical thought after seeing an autographed toolbox, but it's certainly fitting given the frenzied bidding so far on one item over at WWE Auction.

And we do mean frenzied.

Continue reading →

All of the stars are up for grabs -- and there's a Sager Strong touch, too.

That's the best way to sum up the All-Star 2017 New Orleans auction that ends later this week via NBA Auctions.

It's a sale that includes game-worn jerseys worn during one half of the showcase event, players' warm-up jackets and shooting shirts, shorts and even one autographed item that could steal the some of the spotlight away from the big stuff at a much lower price.

Continue reading →

Ok, it's not the weekend, but this was slated to be sent last night -- further proving that it was a busy one on The Buzz this past week. Here are 10 stories worth a look if you missed out. Check 'em out & hit the subscribe button at right if you want email updates.

This Week's Big Hit?
It seems that 2017 Donruss' arrival has collectors talking and there's fun to be found inside its packs. Click here to start with variations and find links to checklists & more. After that, check out a Buzz Break of a hobby box right here.

Keep reading for more ...

Continue reading →

The newest small star of the big screen world that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be a big deal once again very soon on the auction block.

How?

The original art used for the first comic book appearance of Laura Kinney, aka X-23, will be hitting the open market next month via Heritage Auctions.

X-23 is the new star played by Dafne Keen alongside Hugh Jackman in Logan, which has raked its way to more than $104 million at the box office in the United States alone since its release less than one week ago. (It's up to $295 million world-wide.)

Continue reading →

The high-dollar auctions aren't just for high-grade Mickey Mantle cards.

While "The Mick" has dominated the auction block in recent years -- and did so again last weekend via Heritage Auctions -- there were two six-figure NFL sales of note in that Heritage sale, too.

And they weren't alone as a number of graded football cards topped the $10,000 mark.

Continue reading →