2017 October Legends Closing November 11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/12/2017
Encapsulated and graded PRISTINE 10 by BGS, with signature graded "10" by Beckett. A super-premium Rookie Card, and clearly one of the single most significant Trout rookies in the hobby. This is one of just two copies that have earned this stellar BGS assessment. The limited-edition piece is serial-numbered "69/150." The Angels' young superstar has placed a magnificent, blue ink signature on the obverse of this extraordinary collectible. The card's BGS condition report: Centering: 9.5, Corners: 10, Edges: 10, Surface: 10. A caption on the card's front declares, "Topps Certified Autograph Issue," attesting to the authenticity of the signature. Pristine condition.
Beckett has graded 133 of the 150 pieces produced in the Blue/150 segment, awarding the BGS PRISTINE 10 grade to just two examples. From the Red/5, Orange/25, and Gold/50 Refractors produced ahead of the Blue/150 version, just a single Orange copy has achieved BGS PRISTINE 10, with no Reds and no Golds reaching that level. (That Orange BGS PRISTINE 10 card was reportedly brokered to a Las Vegas buyer for $105,000 during the Summer of 2017.) No other BGS-graded Orange or Red copies have been sold publicly for several years, but a pair of Reds are rumored to have been sold privately in 2017 for more than $200,000 apiece, and an Orange PSA MINT 9 specimen changed hands for $35,000.
To summarize, the copy offered here – graded BGS PRISTINE 10 – is one of only two so graded among 150 made and 133 graded. By comparison, there are 53 specimens graded BGS GEM MT 9.5, and the card sells for $15,000 to $20,000 at that tier. The much more elite, "Pop 2" BGS PRISTINE 10 copy seen here has the potential to sell for multiples of that price range. It is a very special card, one of the most valuable and sought-after modern baseball rookie cards that will be auctioned in all of 2017. The emergence of this Blue BGS PRISTINE 10 "1 of 2" example for public sale represents a singular, news-making event. Absolutely, this piece stands among the top five or ten most important Trout collectibles in existence.