Dodgers (and 10-Year-Old Fan) Win World Series

Happy Halloween, Collectors (and a special salute to my fellow Dodger fans reading this).

A Mantel member asked a great question yesterday- would kids be excited by a house passing out packs of cards instead of candy?

It’s a safe bet this young Dodger fan would be.

@cheyanneacortez

When your kiddo collects badeball cards and is obsessdd with Ohtani💙⚾️ had to be crafty this year for my babies costume lol #dodgers #dodg... See more

Dodgers (and 10-Year-Old Fan) Win World Series

Speaking of (World Champion) Dodger fans, news broke over the weekend that Freddie Freeman’s Game 1 walk-off grand slam was caught by a 10-year-old named Zachary. The Dodgers superfan thought he was going to the dentist, and instead found himself in the bleachers for the start of the World Series. The family has heard from multiple auction sites, itching to help sell the ball, but the Mantel team is hoping Zachary holds onto the historic keepsake.

Given neither World Series ballpark offered paper tickets this year, fans almost had to catch a home run ball to leave a game with a collectible. (NPR produced a short piece about the lack of paper tickets at major events, and what fans are missing). Since we didn’t catch a home run ball or get a paper ticket, we’ll settle for buying a bunch of 2024 World Series Champions Topps NOW cards as mementos from the season.

Brace Yourself for New Lamine Yamal Collectible

Orthodontics are cool when you’re 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, the youngest player to score in El Clásico (Real Madrid v. FC Barcelona) and the most-hyped young player in the Beautiful Game. To prove the point, Lamal teamed up with jewelry designers TwoJeys to turn his metal mouth into a red and blue bejeweled art piece. It’s unclear what will happen to the dental work once Lamal’s teeth straighten out, but we’re confident the hardware will command more cash than the Tooth Fairy ever dropped under our pillow.

Highsnobiety has an interview with Yamal and the jewelers behind his grills.

(BTW- on the topic of collectibles tied to teenage athletes, in Tuesday’s Mail Day, writer JR Fickle dug into Leaf’s new Pro Set Prep offering, and questions the wisdom of buying cards of still-in-high school football players. It’s an entertaining read as usual, and you can subscribe via the link if you aren’t already getting the best weekly newsletter for the common collector).

‘Love Letters’ to NYC Hit Block

Auction house Sothebys, fresh off an infusion of $1B in capital through an investment from the Abu Dhabi Sovereign Wealth Fund, is bringing a collection of Keith Haring drawings to market for the first time. The 31 “Subway Drawings”, created between 1980-1985 and owned by collector Larry Warsh, are being dubbed Haring’s “ultimate, years-long love letters to New York City” by the auction house. The pieces head for sale on November 21st, and are estimated to bring in upwards of $9M.

Hypebeast has the details. 

That OTHER Mickey Breaks Card Auction Record

Yesterday the record was broken for the most expensive Mickey Mouse card, after marketplace Alt sold a 1/1 piece for $500,000! We know what you’re thinking: the card must have been an original, signed drawing from Walt Disney himself, from a century ago. Nope! The Mickey card in question was a Topps Disney 100 Chrome Superfractor, produced just last year for the Mouse House’s 100th birthday.