DALLAS, TX.- A Mint 10 example of a major signed rookie issue of the player who has been called “the new Babe Ruth” will soar into the spotlight at Heritage Auctions in its Fall Sports Card Catalog Auction Sept. 18-19, an event packed with stars like Shohei Ohtani and Michael Jordan, as well as vintage classic cards.
“As evidenced by Heritage’s record-setting Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction that brought nearly $63 million to become the most valuable auction ever held, the sports collectibles market continues to grow, particularly on the cards side,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage’s Director of Sports Auctions. “This auction brings an extraordinary diversity of cards for collectors of all interests, including several trophy-level cards that immediately will become centerpieces in their new collections.”
The 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani (Rookie Autographs-Blue Refractor) #BCRA-SO PSA Gem Mint 10, PSA/DNA Auto 10 - #'d 121/150 offered in this auction celebrates the launch of one of the most unique careers in modern sports, when Ohtani emerged as a true superstar in the batter’s box and on the pitcher’s mound. He not only is arguably the best current player in Major League Baseball, but also is a global superstar who enjoys enormous popularity in the U.S. and in his home country, Japan. Cards from this first Bowman Chrome autograph run connect directly to the beginning of his extraordinary career as the game’s biggest two-way star.
This extraordinary card is not the only opportunity in this auction for collectors to end up with something from baseball’s biggest two-way star, who is represented in 49 lots, including (but not limited to):
• A 2025 Topps Now Shohei Ohtani NL MVP (Foilfractor Parallel-Game-Used Relic Autograph) #OS-70 - #1/1
• A unique 2025 Topps MVP Shohei Ohtani (2024 NL MVP Encased Foilfractor-Relic Autograph) #15-AR - #’d 1/1
• A 2025 Topps Museum Collection Dual Auto Jumbo Lumber Bat Relics Book Ohtani, Ichiro #DAJLB-IOH CGC Authentic - #’d 4/5 that features two of the greatest Japanese players ever to play in Major League Baseball
Arguably the most influential modern athlete in any sport will take shoot his shot at the most serious of collectors when a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan Rookie #57 PSA Gem Mint 10 reaches the auction block. For purists whose collections focus on post-war cardboard, this card joins the likes of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle among must-have treasures that simply could be included in any elite collection. In a 1986 set packed with NBA legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Akeem Olajuwon, Jordan’s Fleer rookie soars above the rest. His arrival in the league was transformative, from the Bulls’ on-court victories to the way athletes were marketed, and no subsequent standard-issue card has matched the attention and prices afforded to the card offered in this auction.
Like Ohtani, Jordan’s popularity shows no signs of letting up, and collectors will have a shot at 107 lots in the auction featuring His Airness, whose highlights also include but are not limited to:
• A 2009 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Michael Jordan (Rookie Patch-Flashback) #78A BGS EX-MT+ 6.5 - #’d 11/23 - MBA Gold
• A spectacular 1986 Fleer Basketball Near Set (131/132) - Every Card Graded PSA Gem MINT 10
• A 1998 Upper Deck Ovation Michael Jordan (UD Game Jersey-Autograph) #OV-GJ PSA EX-MT 6, PSA/DNA Auto 10 - #'d 19/23 - MBA Gold
• A 1995 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects Michael Jordan (Autograph) PSA EX-MT 6, PSA/DNA Auto 10 - MBA Gold
• A 2007 Upper Deck SP Authentic Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (Sign of the Times-Triple Autographs) #ST-JJB BGS Gem Mint 9.5, BAS Auto 10 - #’d 05/10
The auction includes a number of sets and near-sets that will stock collections with a new influx of heroes from years past, several of which could reach six figures at the auction block, and many of which rank among the top 20 on the PSA Set Registry.
Among them is a 1952 Topps Baseball PSA Graded Near Set (406/407). This set is known best for the Mickey Mantle card that is widely considered the most popular post-war card. But its roster reads like a Who’s Who? of the greatest stars of the era, including names like Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, Willie Mays, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Joe DiMaggio. This trove is Topps’ landmark first set. The final series inexplicably drew few young buyers and left Topps with a warehouse crowded by unsold cases, a predicament that reportedly ended with cases being tossed off a barge into the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast to make way for the company’s forthcoming football release.
Another prized set offered in the auction is a 1961 Topps Baseball Complete Set Plus Variations (587+9) that celebrates the season in which the American League welcomed two expansion clubs, and the campaign in which Mantle and his New York Yankees teammate, Roger Maris, spent the summer chasing Ruth’s single-season home runs record. Topps embraced the hype of the season with its largest baseball issue to that point. The offered set includes six cards carrying a PSA Gem Mint 10 grade, and 584 Gem Mint 9 offerings. Among the stars included in the set: Mantle, Maris, Mays, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, Williams, Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrezemski and Stan Musial.
Also in play are a number of vintage PSA Registry sets, which have enjoyed immense popularity among collectors because they merge the satisfaction of completing a collection with the excitement of competition, the prestige of awards and the community of fellow collectors. Top PSA Registry sets in the auction include, but are not limited to:
• A 1961 Topps Baseball Complete Set Plus Variations (587+9) that is ranked No. 4 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry and counts among its 587 cards stars like Mays, Hank Aaron, Clemente, Koufax, Bob Gibson and Ernie Banks
• A 1953 Topps Baseball Complete Set (274) – No. 11 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry that includes icons like Jackie Robinson, Bob Feller, DiMaggio and Ralph Kiner
• A 1955 Topps Baseball Complete Set (206) that ranks No. 13 on the PSA Set Registry and includes the likes of Al Kaline, Banks, Spahn and Koufax
• A 1954 Topps Baseball Complete Set (250) that is No. 13 on the PSA Set Registry, with Williams, Ted Kluszewski and Spahn
• A 1941 Play Ball Complete Set (72) — No. 5 on the PSA Set Registry and including Mel Ott, Williams and Reese
• A 1953 Bowman Color Complete Set (160) that is ranked No. 15 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry and features stars like Joe Garagiola, Musial, Yogi Berra, Mantle and Phil Rizzuto
• A 1955 Bowman Baseball Complete Set (320) — No. 9 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry ranked No. 9 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry, with Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Banks, Berra and Campanella
• A 1953 Bowman Black & White Graded Complete Set (64) that is slotted at No. 7 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry and features Johnny Mize, Ralph Branca, Hoyt Wilhelm, Bob Lemon and Casey Stengel
• A 1954 Bowman Baseball Complete Set Plus #66 Williams (225) — No. 10 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry that is No. 10 Current Finest on the PSA Set Registry and includes Williams, Mantle, Snider, Feller, Nelson Fox, Early Wynn, Don Larsen and Robin Roberts
Also offered is a 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson #50 PSA Mint 9, an extraordinary survivor from the season when “Wait ’til next year” became “This is the year” in Brooklyn, when Robinson and the Dodgers added a World Series title to his trophy case that already spotlighted his Rookie of the Year and National League Most Valuable Player awards. Only one other example carries a higher grade.
A 1951 Bowman Willie Mays Rookie #305 PSA NM-MT 8 shines a spotlight on the Hall of Famer who changed the way center field was played. The No. 2 player on The Sporting News’ list of “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players of the Twentieth Century,” became the standard by which other “five-tool players” are measured. This card provides a fitting tribute to the “Say Hey Kid” during the season in which he was named NL Rookie of the Year. Of the more than 2,500 examples found in the PSA Pop Report, there are just nine cards carrying higher grades.
Arguably the greatest base runner and leadoff hitter in the history of the game takes off in a 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson Rookie #482 PSA Gem Mint 10. Henderson revolutionized the game of baseball with his unparalleled speed, both on offense and in the outfield. Graded PSA Gem Mint 10, this extraordinary example represents the highest standard of preservation for one of the hobby's most important rookie cards and a true cornerstone of elite baseball collections. The example offered in this auction is one of just 25 to earn a Gem Mint grade.
