March 25, 2021: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/25/2021
This and an adjacent lot of 1958 Topps Baseball are among the nicest cards from that iconic issue that we have handled over the years. This array, with zero duplication and representing 65 percent of a complete Second Series run, is stunning with the vivid background colors that simply captivate. Cards are remarkably consistent and uniform, providing a great start on completing the issue or supplying literally hundreds of blazing cards that could be used to upgrade even the finest existing sets. This particular array is even better than its technical grades because of the pronounced and bold colors that make up the backgrounds, vivid specimens of the eclectic range of blazing reds, greens, orange and yellows that have made this issue so quirky and collectible. Seemingly printed on a card stock that appeared softer than some of the other Topps mainstream issues of the period, this grouping lays claim to a crispness and gloss that is not often found in 1958. Fourteen (14) Hall of Famers headline, along with a huge array of major stars of the era, plus numerous specials, including Team cards, Combination cards and a dozen of the All-Star subset specials in the inaugural year of what would become a Topps staple for decades. A total of 11 cards have been third-party slabbed and blessed by PSA (mostly), providing a nice glimpse into the wider condition range. It comes out to 28 percent Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint, 29 percent Ex-Mt to Ex-Mt-Plus, 27 percent Excellent to Excellent-Plus and 16 percent Very Good to VG-Ex. The breakdown of stars, specials and slabbed: Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint (70): No. 120 Podres, 134 Pirates Team, 140 Covington – PSA 7, 162 Hodges, 209 – PSA 8, 215 Gilliam, 258 Erskine, 285 Frank Robinson, 295 Minoso, 324 Wilhelm – SGC 8, 375 Reese, 417 Furillo, 457 Pappas Rookie, 476 Musial All-Star, 479 Fox All-Star, 480 Mathews All-Star and 495 Score All-Star; Ex-Mt to Ex-Mt-Plus (73): No. 142 Slaughter, 166 – PSA 6, 217 – PSA 6, 229 – PSA 6.5, 230 Ashburn, 274 – PSA 6.5, 275 Elston Howard, 368 Colavito, 377 Braves Team, 400 Fox, 424 Doby, 428 Redlegs Team, 436 Rival Fence Busters - Mays/Snider, 446 Hardy, 460 – PSA 6, 464 Flood Rookie, 482 Banks All-Star, 483 Aparicio All-Star, 484 Frank Robinson All-Star and 487 Mantle All-Star; Excellent to Excellent-Plus (66): No. 161 Larsen – PSA 5, 187 Koufax, 190 Schoendienst, 270 Spahn, 289 Burdette, 310 Banks, 393 Kubek, 405 – PSA 5.5, 418 Series Foes – Mantle/Aaron, 440 Mathews, 448 Lau Rookie, 462 Geiger, 477 Skowron All-Star, 488 Aaron All-Star and 494 Spahn All-Star; Very Good to VG-Ex-Plus (40): No. 180 McDaniel – PSA 3.5, 246 Yankees Team, 256 White Sox Team, 307 Brooks Robinson, 312 Red Sox Team, 314 Dodgers’ Boss & Power – Snider/Alston, 320 Ford, 443 Harrell and 475 Stengel/Haney All-Star.
1958 Topps Baseball High-Grade Second Series Array (249/383)
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