2019 October Legends Closing October 19
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2019
Encapsulated and assessed "Authentic" by PSA. The 1951 Topps "Major League All-Stars" are a truly exclusive series of collectibles. The elongated, eye-catching cards exist in just minuscule quantities, and, of those examples known to the hobby industry, a scant few are sufficiently well-preserved to deliver the issue's full flavor to the modern viewer. Beyond that, the 11-card release harbors three subjects that were never released to the public. Presented here is one of those profoundly rare and deservedly romanticized entries, featuring 1950 NL MVP Jim Konstanty.
The 1951 Topps line-up featured a variety of innovatively designed products, including the "Major League All-Stars." This set's roster boasts prominent stars of the day (including Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Larry Doby, George Kell, Ralph Kiner, Bob Lemon, and Phil Rizzuto), and Jim Konstanty was clearly in the running to join them. For reasons that are unlikely to achieve full clarity, however, the Konstanty design didn't survive editorial scrutiny, and the offered example survives in "Proof Card" form. The card – hand-cut from a sheet and without the die-cut perforations that allowed the cards in the release to "stand" – remained in the possession of Topps Art Director Woody Gelman until entering the hobby several decades after its creation.
It is believed that fewer than a half-dozen specimens of this exciting postwar rarity exist. Its only numerically graded counterpart (residing in a PSA GD 2 holder) last changed hands at auction in 2010 at a price in excess of $40,000. This famously elusive collectible is one of the industry's most storied objects, and it represents a potential acquisition of essentially unmatched importance.