November 17, 2022: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/17/2022
Offered here is a complete set of the fabled 1959 Fleer Life of Ted Williams issue, including the difficult No. 68 “Ted Signs” card, with the set found here in a somewhat wider condition range than might be typically encountered, essentially Good to Near-Mint, with the emphasis easily to the upper end of the spectrum. In an issue often plagued by gum stains on the card backs, this one has fewer than a half dozen thusly qualified, a remarkably tiny number. Overall, the issue comes out to 24 percent Near-Mint, 38 percent Ex-Mt, 10 percent Excellent, 15 percent Very Good to VG-Ex and 14 percent Good. As the iconic decade of the 1950’s drew to a close, Topps sat alone atop the baseball card realm, having absorbed archrival Bowman in 1956 to launch a monopoly that would stand largely unchallenged for the next quarter century. But another longtime gum company, Fleer, was eyeballing Major League Baseball and itching to nudge its way into the party, and its first tentative steps came in 1959. With virtually all major league players tied to exclusive Topps contracts, Fleer rolled the dice by securing the rights to perhaps the biggest name in the game: Ted Williams. Fleer’s charming “Life of Ted Williams” set was sold in packs and through vending machines, offering an 80-card set of standard-size cards, with each and every one depicting Teddy Ballgame (the set is generally sold as “complete” with 79 of the 80 cards; No. 68 was withdrawn from production because of contractual conflicts with Topps). Breakdown of keys: No. 1 – Good, 2 Ted/Babe – Good-Plus, 8 – Ex-Mt, 9 Ted/Collins – Ex-Mt, 11 Ted/Foxx – Good, 14 – Ex-Mt, 17 – Very Good, 18 All-Star Hero – Ex-Mt, 23 Wings – Near-Mint, 25 Discharge – Nr-Mt, 39 Cronin/Collins – Nr-Mt, 42 Yawkey – Nr-Mt, 55 Cronin – Nr-Mt, 64 Famous Daddy – Nr-Mt, 67 Snead – Good, 68 Ted Signs – Good, 70 Thorpe – Nr-Mt, 75 Ruth/Collins – Ex-Mt-Plus and 80 – Nr-Mt.
1959 Fleer Life of Ted Williams Complete Set (80)
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