November 17, 2022: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/17/2022
Presented is an appealing partial set from the iconic, oversize inaugural 1969-70 Topps Basketball issue, the elegant 2 ½-by- 4 11/16-inch cards that marked the return of Topps to the basketball card arena after a 12-year absence. The “Tall Boys” issue was also the first mainstream NBA offering in eight years after the 1961 Fleer set, making almost ½ of the cards in this issue Rookies. The vast majority of this offering is in a condition range a bit wider than might be typically encountered, mostly Good to Ex-Mt condition, with fewer than a half dozen cards falling below the range. Overall, it comes out to 19 percent Ex-Mt, 24 percent Excellent, 31 percent Very Good and 19 percent Good. While there are some key cards among the missing, the partial set still includes 17 Hall of Famers, often in their inaugural card and featuring some of the biggest stars of the period, like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes and Connie Hawkins, to name a few. A compilation of the missing cards appears at the end of this entry. Breakdown of the keys: No. 12 Johnson Rookie – Excellent, 15 Hawkins Rookie – Ex, 35 Baylor – VG-Ex, 38 Rodgers – Good, 40 Cunningham – Very Good, 43 Bradley Rookie – Good, 44 Wilkens – Ex, 45 Lucas Rookie – Ex-Mt, 50 Robertson – Good, 55 Bing Rookie – VG-Ex, 56 Unseld Rookie – Good, 65 Hudson Rookie – Ex-Mt-Plus, 72 Sanders Rookie – VG-Ex, 75 Hayes Rookie – Good, 84 Greer – VG-Ex, 90 West – Fair, 95 Bellamy – Fair and 99 Checklist – VG-Ex (mk). The missing numbers: No. 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 20, 25, 32, 37, 42, 49, 53, 54, 59, 60, 67, 70, 78, 80, 81, 82, 85, 91 and 98.
1969 Topps Basketball Partial Set (75/99)
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