2019 Winter Auction Closing March 2
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/2/2019
Graded NM 7 by PSA. Hall of Famer. This is the only example at its tier (with none graded higher) among a total of eighteen copies recorded in PSA's census reporting. As further testament to this piece's incredible condition assessment: among a total of just over 1,600 PSA-graded cards from the entire 1959 Venezuela Topps release, less than six percent have achieved an equivalent or higher tier. Against all odds, this visually engaging, career-contemporary item, printed by Topps in the United States but distributed only in the South American nation of Venezuela (where Major League Baseball has long enjoyed wide popularity) has survived to dazzle the present-day hobby. Although the item's design is virtually identical to that of a "standard" '59 Topps Mays, its coarser cardstock affords the built-in perishability that affects virtually all of the very few Venezuela Topps cards that have reached U.S. enthusiasts' hands. The offered piece displays a clear, vibrant image, with the distinctive, subtle ink-tinting that hints at the card's special origins. Faint traces of natural wear are almost wholly confined to the corners. A very desirable rarity, in one-of-a-kind Near Mint condition.