August 6, 2020: Summer Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/6/2020
Offered here is a wonderful example of the colorful, oversized 1970-71 Topps Basketball issue, the 2 ½-by-4 11/16 beauties that boast spectacular bold color backgrounds graced with intriguing portraits and posed-action shots from the greats of the era. It was the second year in a row that Topps produced the unique “Tall Boys” cards, having returned to the basketball card arena the previous year after an absence of a dozen years since their historic 1957 inaugural issue. The Series II array – Nos. 111 to 175 - is a truly spectacular presentation, largely Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint, with the emphasis to Near-Mint and only seven or so cards below Excellent. It comes out to 14 percent Near-Mint to Mint, 65 percent Near-Mint and 11 percent Excellent to Ex-Mt. The array boasts vivid colors and gloss on the front and bright white backs with striking orange panels and an exceptionally clean look. In the listing below of Hall of Famers and some condition anomalies, the handful of cards below Excellent appear at the top and bottom of the stack, with some barely visible bending that prompted Very Good or VG-Ex designations, though the cards truly present much closer to the overall condition range of Ex-Mt to Near-Mint. The breakdown: No. 111 Thurmond All-Star – Very Good, 112 Havlicek All-Star – VG-Ex, 113 Baylor All-Star – VG-Ex, 114 Robertson All-Star – VG-Ex, 115 Hudson All-Star – Ex-Mt, 120 Frazier – Near-Mint o/c, 123 Maravich – Nr-Mt, 125 Bing – Near-Mint to Mint, 130 Hawkins – Nr-Mt, 134 – Hazzard - Nr-Mt, 135 DeBusschere – Ex-Mt-Plus, 137 Murphy Rookie – Nr-Mt-Plus, 140 Cunningham – Ex-Plus, 143 White Rookie – Nr-Mt, 147 – Excellent, 148 Sloan Rookie – Nr-Mt, 149 – Ex-Mt, 150 Reed – Nr-Mt o/c, 151 – Ex-Mt-Plus, 155 Greer – Nr-Mt-Plus, 160 West – Nr-Mt, 163 Sanders – Nr-Mt, 170 - Ex-Mt-Plus, 173 Playoffs – VG-Ex, 174 Playoffs – VG-Ex and 175 Knicks Celebrate – VG.
1970-71 Topps Basketball High-Grade Series II Array, Near-Mint Maravich RC (65)
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