REA’s September auction is built around one of the hobby’s most admired postwar baseball cards: a 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle #135 Gray Back graded PSA NM-MT+ 8.5. The event runs through Sept. 20 and brings together a broad mix of vintage icons, key rookie cards, complete sets, and modern star power across several sports.
For collectors who focus on visual appeal as much as scarcity and grade, the 1956 Topps Mantle stands near the top of the list. The 1956 Topps baseball release has long been praised for its full-color painted design, clean layout, and strong player imagery, and Mantle’s card remains the signature piece in the set. High-grade examples continue to command major attention whenever they reach the open market, with a PSA 9 example having previously sold for $414,800.
1956 Topps Mickey Mantle sets the tone for the auction
The featured Mantle is a Gray Back variation, an important detail for vintage Topps specialists who closely track printing distinctions within the 1956 issue. While both White Back and Gray Back examples have long had collector followings, any high-grade Mantle from the set is positioned as a marquee card because of the combination of player demand, set prestige, and enduring display value.
Mantle’s 1956 Topps card occupies a special place in the market because it appeals to more than one segment of the hobby. Vintage baseball collectors want it as a cornerstone card. Set builders recognize it as the obvious anchor of one of Topps’ most celebrated releases. Investor-minded buyers see it as a blue-chip name backed by decades of demand. That overlap tends to create strong competition whenever an example with upper-tier eye appeal appears in a major sale.
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The card’s popularity also reflects how deeply the 1956 set is embedded in hobby culture. Even collectors who do not actively chase Mantle cards often view this issue as one of the essential visual achievements of the 1950s. In that sense, the headliner does more than add a big name to the catalog. It gives the event a centerpiece that resonates across generations of collectors.
Willie Mays adds another elite vintage baseball offering
Sharing the spotlight is a 1962 Topps #300 Willie Mays graded PSA NM-MT+ 8.5. That card carries extra significance in the current market because a PSA 9 example of the same issue recently brought a record $369,000 in REA’s Summer Catalog Auction. While this offered copy sits a half-grade below that record-setting example, the recent result helps frame how much enthusiasm still exists for top-end Mays material.
The 1962 Topps Mays is one of the most recognizable cards from the early 1960s, featuring a bright design and one of the game’s most collected legends. Strong copies have become increasingly difficult to acquire as more advanced collectors hold onto premium Hall of Fame examples for the long term. In an auction anchored by Mantle, the inclusion of Mays gives vintage baseball buyers another elite target from a similarly revered era.
Michael Jordan cards deepen the cross-sport appeal
REA’s September sale is not limited to vintage baseball. Michael Jordan is heavily represented through a group of desirable issues that span both mainstream and specialist collecting lanes. That mix includes a 1985 Star Company Basketball “Gatorade Slam Dunk” #7, a 1985-1986 Star Company Basketball “Last 11 R.O.Y.” #1, and the always-popular 1986-1987 Fleer Basketball #57 rookie card.
The Jordan selection also includes BGS 8.5 examples of 1986-1987 Star Company Basketball #3 and #4. For collectors who follow pre-Fleer Jordan cards closely, these Star issues remain especially important because they sit in the narrow space between rarity, historical importance, and long-running hobby debate over distribution and availability.
One of the more visually distinctive Jordan offerings is a 1985-1986 Star Company Basketball “Slam Dunk Supers 5x7” #5 graded PSA MINT 9. The piece also carries an MBA Bronze Diamond designation, a detail that may draw additional interest from buyers who place a premium on strong eye appeal within the assigned grade.
Jordan’s presence matters because it broadens the auction well beyond vintage baseball and attracts bidders from the basketball side of the market who may also compete on sets, star lots, and other blue-chip names. In a mixed-category event, that kind of crossover traffic can create momentum throughout the catalog.
More than 90 complete and near-complete sets are in the mix
One of the deeper portions of the auction is its set offering. More than 90 complete and near-complete sets are included, giving advanced collectors and registry-focused buyers a different type of opportunity from the usual single-card chase.
Among the featured set lots are PSA-graded complete sets of 1959-1960 Topps Hockey and 1976-1977 Topps Basketball. Also available are complete 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 Fleer Basketball sets. The 1987-1988 lot includes 65 GEM MINT 10s and the complete 11-card sticker set, while the 1988-1989 set contains 122 GEM MINT 10s.
That kind of set inventory is notable because complete graded runs are often harder to assemble than a casual observer might expect. Even when individual cards are obtainable, finding enough high-grade examples with consistent presentation can take years. For some buyers, a ready-made set with substantial grading strength offers a faster and more efficient path into a key release than building one card by card.
The basketball sets should be especially attractive to collectors who remain active in late-1980s NBA material. Fleer’s role in basketball card history keeps those sets in steady demand, particularly when the grade profile includes a significant number of GEM MINT examples.
Other auction highlights span more than a century of sports collectibles
The strength of the sale is not limited to the Mantle, Mays, and Jordan items. The catalog stretches from 19th-century tobacco-era material to modern autograph cards, creating a broad field for collectors with very different goals.
Other notable cards and pieces in the auction include:
- 1909 E92 Croft’s Candy Ty Cobb, PSA VG 3
- 1925 Maple Crispette #8 Babe Ruth, PSA GOOD 2
- 1965 Topps Football #122 Joe Namath Rookie, PSA NM+ 7.5
- 1957-1958 Topps Basketball #77 Bill Russell Rookie, PSA EX 5
- 1958 Topps Football #62 Jim Brown Rookie, SGC NM+ 7.5
- 1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco Cap Anson, SGC Authentic
- 1914 E145 Cracker Jack #7 Eddie Collins, PSA VG-EX 4
- 2000 Bowman Chrome Football #236 Tom Brady Rookie, BGS GEM MINT 9.5
- 1958 Hires Root Beer Willie Mays with Tab, PSA NM 7
- 1948 R346 Blue Tint #36 Jackie Robinson, PSA GOOD 2 with MBA Silver Diamond
- 2026 Topps Now Road to Opening Day Autographs #A-JM Jacob Misiorowski Rookie Red Foil #5/5, BGS MINT 9 with GEM MINT 10 Signature
- 2023 Bowman U Now Basketball #26A Caitlin Clark Autograph Purple #13/25, PSA GEM MINT 10
- 1977-1979 Sportscaster Italy Hockey #77-10 Wayne Gretzky Rookie, PSA MINT 9
- 1976 Topps Football #148 Walter Payton Rookie, PSA MINT 9
- 1978-1979 Topps Basketball #78 Dennis Johnson Rookie, PSA GEM MINT 10
The diversity of that list says a lot about how major auctions are evolving. Traditional hobby staples such as Cobb, Ruth, Robinson, Mantle, Mays, and Russell still drive attention, but modern stars and non-traditional formats now sit comfortably beside them. A limited Jacob Misiorowski autograph, a Caitlin Clark signed card, and a high-grade Brady rookie all fit naturally into the same event as prewar baseball rarities and vintage football keys.
Why this mix could attract wide bidding activity
The strongest auction catalogs usually do more than present a single headline item. They create multiple paths for different types of bidders to participate. This sale appears positioned that way, with high-end vintage baseball for cornerstone collectors, Jordan cards for basketball-focused buyers, complete sets for registry and team-set builders, and modern stars for collectors who want current names with low serial numbers or premium grades.
That breadth can matter in competitive bidding environments. A bidder who initially enters the auction for a Mantle or Mays card may end up targeting a set or another Hall of Fame piece. Likewise, a basketball collector following Jordan may also take interest in the Fleer set lots or a Bill Russell rookie. Cross-category overlap can increase engagement throughout the event rather than concentrating all attention on one or two cards.
The inclusion of eye-appeal designations on some lots is another wrinkle worth watching. Cards carrying MBA Bronze Diamond or Silver Diamond notations can attract buyers who feel the card presents above the numeric grade. In a market where centering, color, registration, and surface quality can dramatically affect desirability, those secondary indicators may help distinguish one example from another.
Vintage stars remain central to the market
Even with modern cards earning more space in major auctions, the backbone of the event remains vintage star power. Mantle, Mays, Cobb, Ruth, Robinson, Russell, Namath, Brown, Payton, Brady, and Gretzky cover multiple eras and collecting styles, but they share a common trait: long-term hobby relevance. These are names that continue to draw bidders whether the broader market is moving aggressively or cooling in certain segments.
The Mantle card illustrates that dynamic particularly well. It is not merely a high-grade example of a famous player. It is also a recognizable symbol of postwar collecting, one that regularly appeals to both seasoned hobby veterans and newer entrants looking to own a card with instant legitimacy. The same is true, in different ways, for the Mays, Jordan, and Brady offerings.
As the Sept. 20 closing date approaches, the 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle will be the clearest barometer of top-end interest in the sale, but the surrounding depth may be just as important. Between the upper-tier vintage singles, the Jordan group, the complete graded sets, and the spread of prewar to modern material, the catalog offers collectors multiple ways to chase significant cards before bidding closes.
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