Heritage’s ‘Hawkeye’ Collection to Benefit Children’s Hospital

Proceeds from radio legend Mark “Hawkeye” Rybczyk’s baseball card collection will benefit a Dallas-area children’s hospital.

Mark “Hawkeye” Rybczyk has been a radio legend in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for decades, and he’s planning on using his baseball card collection for good this year through a partnership with Heritage Auctions.

A major philanthropist, Rybczyk has helped raise more than $4 million for the Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth over his career. According to the Dallas Morning News, Rybczyk and his radio co-host even recently helped raise over $1 million during the holidays.

Now, Rybczyk plans to raise money for the Cook Children’s Medical Center again by auctioning off his childhood card collection.

Part of Heritage’s Winter Sports Card Catalog Auction, the Mark “Hawkeye” Rybczyk Collection features a variety of cards across 18 lots, including a partial 1971 Topps Baseball set. There’s also a nine-card lot of PSA-graded items featuring Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays.

“I always knew where these cards were – in a closet in my man cave – and I’ve been thinking for the past three, four years what to do with them,” Rybczyk said in a press release. “I knew I had some valuable cards, and with my involvement with Cook Children’s over the last 10 years, it seemed like this would be a great fit. The cards will wind up with someone who appreciates them, and it goes to a good cause. It now seems like this is what they were meant for all along.”

A collector since 1971, Rybczyk’s collection also has sealed wax, including 1981 and 1983 Topps Baseball, as well as a variety of items that he inherited into his collection.

Heritage’s Winter Auction goes into extended bidding January 26 and 27.