April 4, 2024: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/4/2024
Here’s one that ought to catch the attention of advanced collectors: an imposing group of 1953 Topps Baseball in simply unprecedented overall condition, mostly Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, making the array a marvelous starting point for building a full set or a spectacular opportunity to upgrade an existing one. The offered partial set with no duplication represents 38 percent of a complete set, with seven Hall of Famers, many of the great stars of the era, and almost three dozen Shortprints, plus several key Rookie cards. The Hall of Fame lineup includes the likes of Minnie Minoso, Roy Campanella, Eddie Mathews, Early Wynn, Red Schoendienst, Hal Newhouser and Dick Williams. A total of 18 cards have been slabbed by PSA, providing a nice glimpse into the wider condition range. The legendary all-painted set never looked better, with vivid colors and great gloss and minimal chipping of the delicate black and red panels on the front. It is an incredibly consistent group that comes out to 30 percent Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint, 27 percent Ex-Mt to Ex-Mt-Plus, 26 percent Excellent to Excellent-Plus and 15 percent VG-Ex to VG-Ex-Plus, with only two cards below to Very Good. It is extremely rare to find such an enormous group of 1953 Topps Baseball in this kind of condition, marking a rare opportunity for any serious fan of the elegant issue from 71 years ago. The breakdown: Near-Mint to Near-Mint to Mint (31) – No. 12 (PSA 8), 13, 15, 17 (PSA 7 SP), 18, 20 (SP), 33, 34 Shuba (SP), 35, 38 (PSA 7), 45, 49, 59, 64 (SP), 69 (SP), 70 (SP), 83 (SP), 89, 94, 97, 98, 120 (SP), 137, 179, 182, 196, 199, 211, 218, 242 (SP) and 249 (PSA 7, SP); Ex-Mt to Ex-Mt-Plus (28) – No. 3 Crowe (SP), 8, 11 (SP), 14 Labine, 28 (SP), 42, 50 (SP), 55, 58 (PSA 6, SP), 60 (PSA 6), 74 (PSA 6, SP), 78 Schoendienst (PSA 6, SP), 80 (PSA 6, SP), 84 (PSA 6), 87 Lopat (SP), 90, 110, 129 (SP), 145, 161, 174, 176 Hoak Rookie, 185, 188 Carey Rookie, 194 (SP), 239 (SP), 241 and 243; Excellent to Excellent-Plus (27) – No. 37 Mathews, 56 (PSA 5), 66 Minoso (SP), 71 (PSA 5, SP), 75 (PSA 5, SP), 103, 125 Dick Williams, 131, 134 (SP), 166, 177, 181,190, 201, 205, 206, 209, 227 (SP), 246 Face Rookie, 247, 254 Roe, 255 (SP), 259, 263 Podres Rookie (SP), 264 Woodling, 265 Jensen and 272; VG-Ex to VG-Ex-Pus (15) – No. 27 Campanella, 61 Wynn (SP), 73 (PSA 4, SP), 79 (SP), 85, 154 Groat (SP), 156, 171, 198, 210 Cerv Rookie, 228 Newhouser (SP), 229 (SP), 238, 245 (SP) and 279; and Very Good (2) – No. 72 Hutchinson (SP) and No. 260 (SP).
1953 Topps Baseball High-Grade Partial Set, 18 Slabs (103)
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