March 25, 2021: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/25/2021
This is one of the more unusual arrays of 1969 Topps Basketball, a huge grouping of 244 mostly Near-Mint cards, constituting a striking near set missing only two cards and then providing fodder for the eventual completion of nearly two more. This is a rare opportunity to pick up so many high-grade cards from the elegant, oversized issue, the 2 ½-by-4 11/16 cards that represented the company’s re-entry to the basketball card arena more than a decade after issuing its historic initial effort in 1957, yielding a set with an extraordinary number of important Rookie cards, including many of the greatest stars of the era. The splashy white borders showcase the stars of the period in a handsome presentation, with cards exhibiting the coveted “vending bend” that for a half century has heralded the presence of pristine, uncirculated cardboard; card backs are similarly pristine, with snow-white presentation highlighted by crisp light-blue and pink spot colors and a remarkably uniform effect. The configuration means that for most cards, including some Hall of Famers, there are two or even three examples, with virtually no variation in condition. Overall, it comes out to 96 percent being Near-Mint (85 percent) or Near-Mint to Mint (11 percent), with only 10 cards below, most of those to Ex-Mt or Ex-Mt-Plus. The No. 25 Lew Alcindor Rookie card is in a PSA 2.5 holder; the two missing cards are No. 1 Chamberlain and No. 20 Havlicek and No. 40 Reed. The breakdown (Near-Mint unless otherwise noted): No. 2 Goodrich Rookie (3), 3 Russell Rookie (2), 6 Allen Rookie (2), 10 Thurmond Rookie (2, one is Ex-Mt-Plus), 12 Johnson Rookie (2), 15 Hawkins Rookie (2, one is Near-Mint-Plus), 25 Alcindor Rookie – PSA 2.5, 27 Hazzard Rookie (2), 35 Baylor (2), 40 Cunningham Rookie (2), 43 Bradley Rookie, 44 Wilkens (3), 45 Lucas Rookie, 50 Robertson, 55 Bing Rookie (2, one is Nr-Mt to Mt), 56 Unseld Rookie (3, one is Nr-Mt to Mt), 60 Reed Rookie (2), 61 Silas Rookie (3, Nr-Mt to Mt), 65 Hudson Rookie (3), 72 Sanders Rookie (2), 75 Hayes Rookie (2), 80 Monroe Rookie (2),85 DeBusschere Rookie (2), 90 West (2), 91 Walker Rookie (2), 95 Bellamy (3, one is Nr-Mt to Mt), 98 Frazier Rookie (2) and 99 Checklist (2, Ex-Mt-Plus).
1969 Topps Basketball Massive High-Grade Group, Near Set, Slabbed Alcindor (244)
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