A couple of days ago, Heritage Auctions announced they’d be offering one of the four PSA 9 graded 1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan rookie cards in their Summer Platinum Auction.
With that news, I decided to take a deeper look at this elite group, just four PSA 9s and a single PSA 10 exist. I tracked down images of each one and compiled past sale information where available. Scans can only tell us so much, but these examples all appear stunning, but none appear without fault.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan PSA 10 – 02075060
SCP Auctions sold this Gem Mint example for $404k in November 2015, which Memory Lane Inc. had sold for $219k in December 2009. The centering on the back leaves a bit to be desired in a Gem Mt example.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan PSA 9 – 02035014
Memory Lane Inc. also sold this first example of a PSA 9 ’48 Mikan. It sold for $426k in July 2021. This one appears to have a bit of a wax stain on the reverse and less-than-perfect T/B centering.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan PSA 9 – 90255716
In March of 2022, Probstein sold this ’48 Mikan for $800k, blowing away the price achieved by the PSA 10. Again, the centering of the text on the back isn’t ideal, and the front appears slightly faded.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan PSA 9 – 07045756
This Mikan resides in the #1-rated 1948 Bowman Basketball set on the Set Registry. The scan shows rough(er) edges. Mastro offered 07045756 for sale in November 2000 and acknowledged it was “centered just a hair to the top…” At the time it was one of only two examples to be graded by PSA Mint 9 with just the one example graded higher.
1948 Bowman #69 George Mikan PSA 9 – 07114938
The final Mikan of the four PSA 9s is serial number 07045756, the one Heritage is offering for sale. Memory Lane Inc. last sold it for $320k. The borders on the front look slightly off-white.
Final Thoughts
Even among elite grades, nuances in centering, print quality, and visual appeal make each Mikan unique. Whether you’re a high-end collector or simply a fan of hobby history, it’s fascinating to see them all side by side.
Stay tuned, I’ll report back (probably in the newsletter) with more on the Heritage PSA 9 after viewing it at the show and seeing what it sells for. Their pre-auction estimate is $600k+.
Happy Collecting!
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