Gem Mint George Mikan Up for Grabs
A virtually perfect copy of basketball’s Honus Wagner, the 1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan Rookie Card, promises to earn headlines and heavy bidding when it hits the Memory Lane auction block in December.
The card, the only one in existence graded a Gem Mint PSA 10, carries a for-serious-inquiries-only minimum bid of $50,000 and is the marquee item in Memory Lane’s Dec. 12 event.
“The 1948 Bowman Mikan RC could very well be the most important vintage card in terms of historic basketball releases,” says Keith Hower, Beckett Basketball Senior Market Analyst. “The Bowman set marks the first mainstream in-pack basketball issue, and the Mikan RC is easily the most significant card in the product.
“High-grade versions of this card are nearly impossible to obtain due to both printing and cutting technology in 1948. Most cards are off center to a degree and corner and edge wear are almost always present on the 61-year-old card.”
An SGC 88 version of the card sold for $8,400 in Mastro’s 2008 summer auction.
For more information on the auction visit Memory Lane’s website.
— Tracy Hackler
