PWCC's weekly auction is full of goodies for collectors of all colors! There are too many unique finds to list in one blog, but here's a look at a few of the most exciting items we found this week.

TRADING CARD GAMES

Full Gem Mint 1st Edition Yu-Gi-Oh! Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon set

This collection is a complete 2002 Yu-Gi-Oh! LOB First Edition registry set with all cards – including Blue Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician, Exodia, etc. – in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition.

The set is one of fewer than 10 known PSA 10 sets in the world featuring all 126 cards. According to PWCC's records, this is the first time a set of this caliber has ever entered public auction.

Yu-Gi-Oh!’s inaugural Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon helped launch the game into a worldwide phenomenon. The TCG sold over 22 billion cards within the first 10 years of its debut. This LOB set remains the most coveted set to date.

The high bid currently sits at $38,000.

MEMORABILIA

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1919 Type 1 Photograph of Shoeless Joe Jackson from the infamous “Black Sox” Series

A rarely seen authentic photograph of Shoeless Joe Jackson, believed to be taken around the time of the historic 1919 “Black Sox” World Series.

The date October 29, 1919 – just 20 days after the scandal-ridden World Series against the Cincinnati Reds ended – is stamped on the back of the photo. Experts say the shot was taken just before, if not during, the series.

This portrait of the 32-year-old Jackson was taken for the Newspaper Enterprise Association. It measures 7” x 10” and is classified as a Type 1 photograph, meaning it was developed from the original negative of the shot. It comes with a PSA certificate of authentication.

“Not only is this an iconic photograph of a legendary talent, but it’s also one of the few pieces of memorabilia left from the 1919 season,” said Nick Cepero, Manager of Memorabilia at PWCC Marketplace. “The commissioner wanted to erase all ties to the Black Sox scandal, so there aren’t a lot of pieces like this available. This is undoubtedly a holy grail item for Shoeless Joe Jackson, one the of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game.”

The high bid currently sits at $17,000.

SPORTS

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2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Padparadscha Max Verstappen 1/1 PSA 9

Max Verstappen’s 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padparadscha trading card – the only one in the world –sped past the six-figure mark after he dominated in the opening race earlier this month.

Bidding for this rare 1/1 release of the Dutch superstar currently stands at $140,000, already making it his third highest-selling trading card to date.

“When an athlete lives up to the hype as Verstappen has, collectors pay attention,” said Jesse Craig, Vice President of Sales at PWCC Marketplace. “Verstappen dominated in the Bahrain Grand Prix, diminishing doubts left over from last season. And he has positioned himself as a front-runner for nearly every single race this season.”

The demand for this card is driven by its extreme rarity. It was released as a special Sapphire Edition parallel in Topps’ very first Chrome F1 set. The odds of pulling one of these parallels were 1:605 packs, making it one of Verstappen’s hardest-to-find and most valuable cards ever produced.

This masterpiece features a padparadscha gem-like holofoil and is graded a Mint 9 by PSA.

“This is a one-of-one card so the chance of it hitting the market again any time soon is highly unlikely,” said Craig. “If Verstappen continues to perform at this high of a caliber this card will likely be in a high-end collection for a long time."

The high bid currently sits at $140,000.

VIDEO GAMES

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Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out (Nintendo NES) WATA 9.4 B+ Sealed

This 1987 NES release from Nintendo is one of the earliest examples of a video game company paying to use the name and likeness of an athlete. Mike Tyson, the World Heavyweight Champion at the time, is featured both on the cover and in the game as the final opponent.

The game was an adaptation of the 1984 game Punch-Out!! that could only be found in arcades. In Nintendo’s version the player, known as Little Mac, uses a limited repertoire of jabs, body blows, and uppercuts to box characters like King Hippo, Mr. Sandman, and, of course, Tyson himself.

Punch-Out sold over 2 million copies in North America within the first year of its debut. WATA has only graded 67 sealed copies of Punch-Out across all its variations and only eight of those are graded higher than this WATA 9.4 example. This Nintendo Oval Seal-of-Quality edition also earned a B+ grade for its seal.

Nintendo was never able to make a sequel to this game using Tyson as their license with the boxer had expired before the next game was developed.

Nearly 40 years have passed since its release and Punch-Out is still considered one of, if not the best boxing games ever produced. Some even consider it to be on a shortlist of the greatest video games of all time.

The high bid currently sits at $8,000.

COMICS

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9.8 copy of Marvel’s 1974 Incredible Hulk

This is a near-perfectly preserved copy of Marvel’s 1974 Incredible Hulk #181 featuring the first full appearance of Wolverine.

CBCS graded this copy with white pages a 9.8. This places it in the top 1% of all examples graded by CBCS with only three others having earned as high of a grade.

In the early 1970s, Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas tasked writer Len Wein with creating a character to appeal to the Canadian audience. In November of 1974 in the pages of Incredible Hulk #181 that effort paid off - and not just with Canadian fans - in the form of Wolverine, a Canadian-born adamantium-clawed anti-hero who would go on to become one of the most beloved characters in Marvel history.

Incredible Hulk #181 is written by Len Wein with art by Herb Trimpe, John Romita, and Jack Abel. Overstreet ranked this issue No. 2 on their top 25 comics from the Bronze Age.

“This release is undoubtedly one of the most highly sought-after keys from the Bronze Age,” said Zachary Kirkpatrick, Manager of Comics at PWCC Marketplace. “When a character becomes as beloved and successful as Wolverine has, their debut comic will always be in high demand. It’s nearly impossible to find a copy preserved as well as this one making this a centerpiece for any comic book collector.”

The high bid currently sits at $25,000.

This auction closes at 7 p.m. PT on March 16. After 7 p.m. the auction will enter a time of extended bidding.

Check out all the items in this auction!
Happy bidding!

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.