A rare find of unopened 1963 Exhibit Baseball card packs, including a treasure trove of "stat back" cards, sold for nearly $150,000, showcasing the enduring value and appeal of vintage sports memorabilia.
An extraordinary discovery featuring four unopened packs of 1963 Exhibit Baseball "stat back" cards recently captivated the sports memorabilia community, culminating in a sale of $107,311 at a Las Vegas auction held by Memorabilia Experts. These packs, untouched and preserved in their original plain brown packaging marked by the Exhibit Supply Company of Chicago, contained an estimated 2,000 cards, offering a rare snapshot of baseball history.
Given the distribution, it's believed each pack could yield up to seven complete sets from the 64-card series, enriching the collection with duplicates and cards of twenty-three Hall of Famers. Furthermore, a fifth pack, which had been partially opened, revealed approximately 970 cards, including almost fifty featuring iconic players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Sandy Koufax. This additional lot fetched $40,832, adding to the auction's success.
The collection came to auction after the consignor, inspired by an old Exhibit machine featured on Memorabilia Experts' Facebook page, recalled the card bundles stored by his family, who had been involved in the arcade industry. These cards hail from the later years of the Exhibit Supply Company's era of producing sports cards for coin-operated machines located in arcades, carnivals, and various entertainment venues.
Distinguished from other Exhibit cards by their "stat back" feature, which included the players' career statistics printed in red, these cards represent a significant piece of baseball memorabilia history. This auction not only underscores the lasting fascination with vintage baseball cards but also celebrates the stories and nostalgia they encapsulate for collectors and enthusiasts alike.