2019 October Legends Closing October 19
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2019
Graded GEM MT 10 by PSA. Hall of Famer, in a prized "second year" gum card appearance. This is the lone example (among a total of nearly 1,400 PSA-holdered copies) residing at that unimprovable tier. The seldom-mentioned irony, of the early "Tall Boy" configuration in basketball cards, finds beautiful realization in this exceptional piece. On its bright, super-glossy surface, an oversized display area allows fitting depiction of the card's legendary 7-foot-1-1/2-inch subject. Amazingly, the offered specimen has enjoyed freedom from handling in an inverse proportion to its generous dimensions, and displays impeccably. The card's corners are pristine, its print quality is unchallenged in its clarity, and even the issue's tendency toward imprecise focus has been thwarted. The hobby's persistent inclination to play "grading roulette" with 1970/71 Topps basketball cards, wherein virtually every apparently credible specimen is submitted for wishful grading assessment, makes this example's superlative status even more significant. Gem Mint condition.