March 21, 2019: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/21/2019
Offered here is an attractive near set of 1972 Topps Baseball cards, missing only 18 cards from what was the company’s largest issue to that day. The near set is essentially Excellent to Near-Mint, with some below and the emphasis clearly to the upper end of the spectrum, with a huge number of Near-Mint beauties included in the mix. The set was iconic from the moment it rolled off the presses almost 50 years ago, boasting wonderful vivid color and gloss in the colorful and quirky “psychedelic” design in an offering that – given its mammoth size – included more unusual subsets than any Topps effort before or since. It also featured what is easily the toughest high numbers of the decade, a designation abbreviated by the realization that Topps abandoned the concept of issuing cards in series starting in 1974. This sterling near set is missing only a couple of HOFer cards – Brock, Brooks Robinson, Rose – and a couple of In-Action cards, plus a dozen cards from that uber-difficult high series; the compilation of the 18 missing numbers appears at the end of this listing. Breakdown of keys: No. 1 Pirates Team – Near-Mint, 37 Yastrzemski – Ex-Mt-Plus, 49 Mays – Ex-Mt-Plus, 51 Killebrew – Ex-Plus, 79 Fisk Rookie – Ex-Mt-Plus, 100 Frank Robinson – Ex-Mt, 130 Gibson – Nr-Mt, 280 McCovey – Ex-Mt-Plus, 299 Aaron – Ex-Mt, 309 Clemente – Nr-Mt, 435 Jackson – Nr-Mt, 447 Stargell – Ex-Mt, 445 Seaver – Nr-Mt, 595 Ryan – Ex-Mt, 600 Kaline – Nr-Mt and 695 Carew – Nr-Mt. The missing numbers: No. 200, 300, 436, 550, 555, 559, 667, 698, 708, 710, 711, 752, 757, 760, 761, 775 and 777.
1972 Topps Baseball Near Set (769)
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