March 21, 2019: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/21/2019
Presented here is a truly impressive near set of a particularly condition-sensitive issue, the 1968 Topps Baseball issue adorned with the “burlap” borders that reveal wear a bit more distinctly than other offerings. This near set is not unlike some sets that you find in older collections, often with a noticeable improvement in grades as the series go forward. In this instance, the prevailing grade range is largely Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with the emphasis probably to the lower end of the spectrum in the earlier series and the upper end in the later ones, with some below the range. This is a truly impressive example of a coveted late-1960s Topps offering, a high-grade near set jostled a bit by the absence of a handful of key Hall of Famers, but nonetheless a great opportunity to snag most of the issue in a highly collectible condition. The roster of the missing numbers appears at the end of this listing. The keys: No. 1 Leaders – Excellent, 30 Torre – Ex, 37 Williams – Near-Mint, 58 Mathews – Ex-Mt, 85 Perry – Ex-Mt, 86 Stargell – Nr-Mt, 87 Williams – Ex-Mt, 130 Perez – Nr-Mt, 144 Morgan – Ex-Mt-Plus, 145 Drysdale – Ex-Mt-Plus, 200 Cepeda – Ex-Mt-Plus, 205 Marichal – Ex, 215 Bunning – Ex-Mt, 220 Killebrew – Nr-Mt, 235 Santo – Nr-Mt o/c, 240 Kaline – Ex-Mt-Plus, 257 Niekro – Nr-Mt, 290 McCovey – Nr-Mt, 294 Schoendienst – Ex-Mt-Plus, 310 Aparicio – Ex-Mt, 321 Durocher – Nr-Mt, 350 Wilhelm – Ex-Mt, 370 Aaron All-Star – Nr-Mt, 390 Mazeroski – Ex, 410 Jenkins – Ex-Mt, 472 Alston – Ex-Mt-Plus, 528 Tigers Team – Ex, and 530 Bird Belters – Ex. Missing numbers: No. 20, 45, 50, 80, 100, 110, 177, 230, 247, 250, 280, 330, 355, 374, 385, 408, 480, 490, 500, 501, 520 and 575.
1968 Topps Baseball Near Set (576/598)
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