For Justin Hirsch, collecting has always been about more than owning valuable cards. It’s about the history, the stories and the thrill of discovering something unexpected.
That philosophy is at the heart of Rabbit Hole Auctions, the boutique auction house Hirsch founded to make vintage collectibles accessible to a broader audience. Its second auction, featuring approximately 170 lots, opened on October 11 and runs through November 1.
The sale includes familiar names like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, but collectors will also find vintage boxing cards, entertainment memorabilia, historical advertising and unusual artifacts dating back to the 1800s.
A Collector’s Journey Comes Full Circle
Hirsch’s collecting journey began in 1982, when his father took him to his first auction. They came home with two rookie cards, a 1966 Topps Jim Palmer and a 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson. More than four decades later, he still owns both.
“Those are the two cards I cannot replace,” Hirsch told Collectibles on SI.
Although he collected throughout his childhood, Hirsch’s interest evolved as he traveled for business, often purchasing vintage cards connected to the cities he visited. During the pandemic, rediscovering a box of 1955 Bowman cards inspired him to pursue the complete set.
The goal wasn’t to compete with the industry’s largest auction houses. Hirsch envisioned something more personal: a boutique auction house built around carefully curated vintage cards, memorabilia, and historical artifacts, with an emphasis on accessibility, storytelling, and community.
Hirsch intentionally keeps his auctions relatively small, believing collectors should be able to explore the entire catalog rather than arrive with a shopping list. It’s an approach inspired by his own decades of collecting, where discovering an unexpected piece can be just as rewarding as finding the card he originally set out to buy.
He calls the approach “attainable vintage,” although exceptional, higher-end collectibles also have a place in the company’s auctions.
Big Names and Unexpected Discoveries
Among the current auction’s standout lots is a vintage 1956 Topps baseball card machine displaying six Hall of Famers, including Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax and Yogi Berra.
Hirsch already owned the machine when he acquired a collection containing approximately 50 raw 1956 Topps cards. He combined the two to create a distinctive display piece. You can see the machine and cards on the latest episode of The Golden Age of Cardboard podcast,hosted by Mike Moynihan, a regular on Chasing Cardboard.
Another highlight is the Barry Walner Collection, featuring autographed Baseball Magazine player photos, obtained through the mail during the early 1950s. Walner preserved the signatures in a scrapbook for decades. Hirsch had the pieces removed and submitted to PSA, and Walner helped write the descriptions accompanying the auction lots, featuring stars including Warren Spahn, Ralph Kiner, and Herb Score.
The sale also features a 1954 Topps Hank Aaron, a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie,and numerous T206 tobacco cards.
More Than Just Baseball Cards
One of Rabbit Hole’s distinguishing features is its selection of unusual historical collectibles, including 178 nineteenth-century actors and actresses cards, early 1910-12 boxing cards, a nine-card lot from the 1910 T206 Fish Series, and five 1889 Kinney Bros. N230 Famous English Running Horses cards. The latter two should particularly appeal to modern Allen & Ginter collectors, who appreciate the brand’s tradition of featuring subjects beyond baseball, from animals to historical curiosities.
Hirsch says these items are intentionally included alongside traditional sports cards.
“I love the history of the hobby and collectibles,” he said, explaining that the advertising, artifacts and memorabilia help bring the cards and their eras to life.
The auction also includes a collection of 1970–71 basketball cards from the estate of Priscilla Reetz. Her children helped write the lot descriptions as a tribute to their mother, reflecting Hirsch’s belief that the stories behind collectibles can be just as meaningful as the items themselves.
There’s also a particularly personal lot: Yummy Up Bakery, a children’s book Hirsch’s daughter wrote at 10 and published when she was 16. Now 22, she’s seeing her book return to Rabbit Hole’s second auction after being a popular item in the inaugural sale.
Keeping Collecting Accessible
After completing Rabbit Hole’s inaugural auction in 2025, Hirsch came away convinced that collectors appreciate a manageable catalog filled with interesting, affordable material. He says the company’s typical price points range from approximately $10 to $3,000, and he’s committed to offering unusual collectibles even when they aren’t likely to generate substantial profits.
“We like to feature it, even if it doesn’t make us money, because it’s cool,” Hirsch said.
Hirsch acknowledges that some of the more unusual artifacts don’t always attract the same attention as vintage baseball cards. But he isn’t interested in filling the catalog exclusively with guaranteed sellers. Part of the appeal, he says, is giving collectors the opportunity to discover something they’ve never encountered before.
For Hirsch, the goal is about more than selling collectibles. It’s about creating a community where collectors can discover something unexpected, appreciate the history behind it, and give a treasured piece a new home.
Rabbit Hole Auctions’ second sale closes November 1, with the full catalog available atRabbit Hole Auctions.
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LUCAS MAST
Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
