A Willie Mays Bowman 1951 rookie card, graded PSA 8.5, might set the all-time record for most expensive Mays rookie card ever sold this month at Robert Edward Auctions.
With only eight examples graded higher (no 10s), Mays’ rookie rarely appears at auction. The last time a higher example sold publicly was in September 2009, when the card sold for $65,725 at Heritage. The current record sale for the card belongs to a PSA 8 copy sold for $338,400 at Goldin in March 2021.
Another PSA 8 sold this weekend at Goldin for $207,400.
The record for any Mays card belongs to his 1952 Topps card, which sold in a PSA 9 for $478,000 in May 2016.
With bidding already topping $300,000 for the PSA 8.5 at REA, the potential record for one of the all-time great’s rookie cards is always a watershed moment. Not to mention, in this case, it comes just months since Mays' death in June.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.