A PSA 8.5-graded Willie Mays rookie card, from 1951 Bowman, has sold for an all-time high price at Robert Edwards Auctions.
The bidding closed with the final sale price of $390,935, which tops the previous high of $338,400, which was a PSA 8-graded copy that sold in March 2021 with Goldin Auctions.
Source: robertedwardauctions.com
The popular card rarely appears at public auctions in such a high grade; Only 8 copies have achieved a higher grade with PSA, which have all achieved a grade 9 (no 10s).
The last time a PSA 9 copy was sold publicly was 2009, for $65,725, so this latest PSA 8.5 sale represents the highest-graded sale of Mays’ 1951 rookie in 15 years, during which time prices have obviously risen substantially.
Although this latest sale sets a record price for his 1951 Bowman rookie, it doesn’t beat the record for any Willie Mays card, which is $478,000 for his popular 1952 Topps card; The record was set by a PSA 9-graded copy in 2016.
Both cards are among the most iconic baseball cards from the 1950s.
