March 25, 2021: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/25/2021
This lot presents the rare opportunity to pick up what is possibly the second-most important issue of the 1950’s, the elegant, all-painted 1953 Topps Baseball, certainly on of the most unique issues of the Golden Age of Baseball Cards. It is also one of the most difficult Topps issues ever in terms of condition sensitivity because of the full-bleed color panels at the bottom of the card. This offering is in a highly attractive mostly Good to Ex-Mt condition, with excellent color and gloss and the emphasis to Very Good to Ex-Mt (75 percent). The four key cards have been slabbed and graded: No. 1 Jackie Robinson – PSA 2, No. 82 Mantle – PSA 3.5, No. 220 Paige – PSA 3.5, and No. 244 Mays – PSA 1. There is a noticeable condition improvement in the high numbers, with roughly 2/3 of the cards deemed Ex-Mt coming from that difficult series, including 15 of the treacherous shortprints. That august group is headlined by the likes of an Ex-Mt Jim Gilliam Rookie card, Harvey Haddix and Johnny Podres Rookies and cards of Hal Newhouser and Jackie Jensen. Here’s the breakdown of the keys: No. 1 Robinson – PSA 2, 27 Campanella – Excellent, 37 Mathews – Good, 41 Slaughter – Ex, 54 Feller – Ex, 61 Wynn – VG-Ex, 62 Irvin – Ex, 76 Reese – VG-Ex, 77 Mize – VG-Ex, 78 Schoendienst – VG-Ex, 82 Mantle - PSA 3.5, 86 Martin – Ex, 104 Berra – VG, 114 Rizzuto – Good, 125 Williams – Good, 138 Kell – Ex-Mt, 147 Spahn – Good, 151 Wilhelm – Ex, 191 Kiner – VG, 207 Ford – VG-Ex, 220 Paige – PSA 3.5, 228 Newhouser – Ex-Mt, 244 Mays – PSA 1, 258 Gilliam Rookie – Ex-Mt, 265 Jensen – Ex-Mt, 268 Podres Rookie – Ex-Mt and 267 Haddix Rookie – Ex-Mt.
1953 Topps Baseball Complete Set, PSA 3.5 Mantle and Paige (274)
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