Collecting Losers Might be a Good Investment

Above the Mantel 040

Author

Jack Caldwell
September 12, 2024

Welcome, Collectors.

You may have heard that the Chicago White Sox lost their 114th game yesterday. Now, MLB’s all-time record of 120 losses seems inevitable. We’ve covered sports collectibles marked by watershed moments. But what about record lows?

Well, a baseball autographed by the 120-loss 1962 Mets is being sold at the team’s store for $4,000. A ball signed by the ‘63 Mets – featuring a nearly-identical roster but only 111 losses – can be had for less than half that price. Perhaps the ultimate loser makes a winning investment.

Could the soon-to-be-infamous South Siders be worth a look for collectors? Give us your thoughts on Mantel.

Rare Wagner Hitting Market – And It’s Not The T206

For the first time since 2017, a 1913 Voskamp’s Coffee Honus Wagner card is hitting the open market with Clean Sweep Auctions – and it’s one of only four ever to be graded. Despite its PSA 2 grade, bids already sit at $29,000 with almost a month remaining. Other cards in the auction include an 1887 “King” Kelly Old Judge card, and a Ty Cobb from the T206 set that other Wagner card helped make famous.

Sports Collectors Daily has all the additional details on these century-old gems.

Beautiful Boy: ‘79 Lennon Letter Up For Grabs

A handwritten letter written by John Lennon to his cousin, penned about a year before his death, is heading under the hammer with RR Auction, with an estimated value of $30,000. Tragically, Lennon commented on his hope for “life beginning at 40” – a topic he would soon devote an entire album towards. Lennon refers to his son Sean as a ‘beautiful boy’ in the letter, a description Beatles fans will recognize from a track by the same name off of that final album, Double Fantasy. 

The Daily Mail provides the letter’s complete text.

$1M Bid For Constitution Copy Found In Cabinet

In 1787, a U.S. Constitution copy printed after the Constitutional Convention went missing. Come 2022, a property formerly owned by an 18th-Century North Carolina governor was being cleared out – and the original papers were discovered in a filing cabinet. There are two unknowns: the amount of time it spent in the cabinet, and how much the top bid could hit. But Brunk Auctions have already secured a $1M bid, with 17 days to go.

CNN interviewed expert appraiser Seth Kaller for the copy’s full story.

No “S” But Plenty of $ For This Rare Coin

Three Ohio sisters recently discovered a 1975 coin that became their lottery ticket. The American dime is one of two in existence missing the "S" mint mark – and the other sold for $456,000 in 2019. Among coin collectors, the search for these specific coins is comparable to the search for the Ark of the Covenant. GreatCollections announced they’re bringing the dime to public bidding in October.

Newsweek details the much-debated lore behind the 1975 “missing S”.