Miller & Miller Sports Cards & Memorabilia Auction Sees $386K
A game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 1950-51 Stanley Cup championship season soared to $70,800, and a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle top level baseball card finished at $59,000, in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia auction held June 22, 2025.
All prices in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18% buyer’s premium.
The Barilko hockey stick was the undisputed sleeper item of the sale, easily blasting through its $5,000 high estimate on its way to top lot honors. The Mantle card was no surprise, having come into the sale with a $40,000-$50,000 estimate, but the final selling price bested that by $9,000. In all, 235 lots came up for bid in an auction that grossed $386,951, a success by any measure.
“The Bill Barilko stick was an absolute thrill to bring to market and see a Canadian icon’s name live on in the sale of a historic piece of memorabilia,” Consignment Director Ben Pernfuss said. “Card results remained strong, as two 1952 Mantles highlighted an exciting offering of pre-1980 cards. Sold was a range of cards, sports memorabilia and historic objects.”
The game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leaf’s 1950-1951 Stanley Cup season offered a significant piece of hockey history. The stick was made by the Love & Bennett sporting goods store, located on the same block as the Maple Leaf Garden. It was stamped with Barilko’s number 5 and signed by the members of that championship team.
Bidders were treated to two 1952 Mantle cards in the auction. The example that brought $59,000 wasn’t perfect. It was graded 2 Good from PSA, with imperfect corners and an off-center image area. But it also boasted an excellent surface and strong edges. Ultimately, bidders saw the card for what it was: a rare ‘52 Mantle card in a category of its own.
Following are additional highlights from the auction, one with no live webcast portion and where lots closed in sequential order on auction day. A total of 221 registered bidders placed a combined 4,732 bids. A total of 99% of all lots offered were sold, while 54% of the top 50 lots topped estimates. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website.
A complete set (79 of 79) Parkhurst hockey cards from the 1955-1956 season, featuring Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and “Old-Time Greats,” brought $8,850, more than tripling the $2,500 high estimate. Included were Jacque Plante’s #50 rookie card (PSA 3 Very Good), card #37 Rocket Richard (PSA 6 EX-MT) and card #44 Jean Beliveau (PSA 4 Very Good).
A complete high grade set (60 of 60) 1964 Topps Giants series cards, marking the company’s first postcard-size release, with each 4-inch by 7-inch card showcasing a large color photograph framed by a white border, sold for $8,260 against a high estimate of $3,000. A few of the stars included Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. The average PSA grade was 8.4.
A 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson baseball card, graded PSA 1 PR, bested the $3,000 high estimate by finishing at $5,900. The card was from Topps’ fabled 1952 6th series, running from #311 Mickey Mantle to #407, considered the rarest series of the 407-card set, and the Jackie Robinson card is one of the most sought-after, owing to his legendary career on and off the field.
A New York Yankees jersey, signed and inscribed by Mickey Mantle in 1993 and presented to the Toronto Blue Jays as a token of appreciation for the team having invited him to the World Series that year, along with his ticket to the game, in a 52-inch by 49-inch frame, sold for $5,015, more than doubling the high estimate. He wrote, “Thanks. Forever a Yankee, Mickey Mantle.”
A 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee uncut sheet of 226 hockey cards in excellent condition (and boasting a #18 Wayne Gretzky mint rookie card) showed some minor edge wear but that season’s O-Pee-Chee set remains one of the most iconic groupings of cards in the world of sports card collecting. The sheet was blank-backed (no printing on the reverse side). It sold within estimate for $4,130.
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will take the summer months off but will be back in the fall with a Petroliana & Advertising Auction on September 13, General Store Advertising, featuring the Don Titherington Collection on September 14, and Pre-1980 Sports & Memorabilia on September 27.
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. specializes in watches and jewelry, art, antiques and high value collectibles. Miller & Miller can be reached at (519) 573-3710 or info@millerandmillerauctions.com to discuss consigning a single piece, an estate, or a collection. More information about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events are available at www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.
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Miller & Miller Sports Cards & Memorabilia Auction Sees $386K
A game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 1950-51 Stanley Cup championship season soared to $70,800, and a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle top level baseball card finished at $59,000, in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia auction held June 22, 2025.
All prices in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18% buyer’s premium.
The Barilko hockey stick was the undisputed sleeper item of the sale, easily blasting through its $5,000 high estimate on its way to top lot honors. The Mantle card was no surprise, having come into the sale with a $40,000-$50,000 estimate, but the final selling price bested that by $9,000. In all, 235 lots came up for bid in an auction that grossed $386,951, a success by any measure.
“The Bill Barilko stick was an absolute thrill to bring to market and see a Canadian icon’s name live on in the sale of a historic piece of memorabilia,” Consignment Director Ben Pernfuss said. “Card results remained strong, as two 1952 Mantles highlighted an exciting offering of pre-1980 cards. Sold was a range of cards, sports memorabilia and historic objects.”
The game-used, team-signed Bill Barilko hockey stick from the Toronto Maple Leaf’s 1950-1951 Stanley Cup season offered a significant piece of hockey history. The stick was made by the Love & Bennett sporting goods store, located on the same block as the Maple Leaf Garden. It was stamped with Barilko’s number 5 and signed by the members of that championship team.
Bidders were treated to two 1952 Mantle cards in the auction. The example that brought $59,000 wasn’t perfect. It was graded 2 Good from PSA, with imperfect corners and an off-center image area. But it also boasted an excellent surface and strong edges. Ultimately, bidders saw the card for what it was: a rare ‘52 Mantle card in a category of its own.
Following are additional highlights from the auction, one with no live webcast portion and where lots closed in sequential order on auction day. A total of 221 registered bidders placed a combined 4,732 bids. A total of 99% of all lots offered were sold, while 54% of the top 50 lots topped estimates. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website.
A complete set (79 of 79) Parkhurst hockey cards from the 1955-1956 season, featuring Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and “Old-Time Greats,” brought $8,850, more than tripling the $2,500 high estimate. Included were Jacque Plante’s #50 rookie card (PSA 3 Very Good), card #37 Rocket Richard (PSA 6 EX-MT) and card #44 Jean Beliveau (PSA 4 Very Good).
A complete high grade set (60 of 60) 1964 Topps Giants series cards, marking the company’s first postcard-size release, with each 4-inch by 7-inch card showcasing a large color photograph framed by a white border, sold for $8,260 against a high estimate of $3,000. A few of the stars included Sandy Koufax, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. The average PSA grade was 8.4.
A 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson baseball card, graded PSA 1 PR, bested the $3,000 high estimate by finishing at $5,900. The card was from Topps’ fabled 1952 6th series, running from #311 Mickey Mantle to #407, considered the rarest series of the 407-card set, and the Jackie Robinson card is one of the most sought-after, owing to his legendary career on and off the field.
A New York Yankees jersey, signed and inscribed by Mickey Mantle in 1993 and presented to the Toronto Blue Jays as a token of appreciation for the team having invited him to the World Series that year, along with his ticket to the game, in a 52-inch by 49-inch frame, sold for $5,015, more than doubling the high estimate. He wrote, “Thanks. Forever a Yankee, Mickey Mantle.”
A 1979-1980 O-Pee-Chee uncut sheet of 226 hockey cards in excellent condition (and boasting a #18 Wayne Gretzky mint rookie card) showed some minor edge wear but that season’s O-Pee-Chee set remains one of the most iconic groupings of cards in the world of sports card collecting. The sheet was blank-backed (no printing on the reverse side). It sold within estimate for $4,130.
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will take the summer months off but will be back in the fall with a Petroliana & Advertising Auction on September 13, General Store Advertising, featuring the Don Titherington Collection on September 14, and Pre-1980 Sports & Memorabilia on September 27.
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. specializes in watches and jewelry, art, antiques and high value collectibles. Miller & Miller can be reached at (519) 573-3710 or info@millerandmillerauctions.com to discuss consigning a single piece, an estate, or a collection. More information about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events are available at www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.
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