March Premium Auction Ending April 3, 5 & 6
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/3/2021
Here is one of the very finest '55 Topps Knute Rockne cards on existence, a specimen against which all others must be measured. In fact, the piece stands alonside the finest 1955 Topps All-American cards ever graded by PSA, regardless of personage. The great coach, shown here beside the logo of his Notre Dame affiliation, was the consummate leader of his era. Historians and college football enthusiasts still speak of his abilities in reverent tones. The offered showpiece has masterfully combined the icon's likeness with the issue's characteristic "action" background scene to form a sublime, eye-catching collectible. All of the card's attributes appear to have been crafted with special attention to detail. Its centering is essentially perfect, its corners are untouched, and the subject legend's image displays the highest visual fidelity imaginable. The item's aesthetics are crisp, fresh and simply beautiful on both sides.
Graded GEM MT 10 by PSA. Hall of Famer. This is one of just four examples on earth at its level – a population representing barely one-third of one percent of all the 1955 Topps Rockne items accepted for holdering by PSA. (Nearly 47,000 cards from the entire 1955 Topps All-American series have been graded by that company, with fewer than sixty "10's" resulting.) The archetypal football coach, Rockne created a singular pattern of success and sportsmanship that many others have tried to emulate. Unlike some of his recent counterparts in the game, however, with their more modern and better-manufactured tribute pieces, Rockne's mid-1950s commemorative is extremely problematic in terms of condition. Even pack-fresh specimens tend to be haunted by their coarse card stock and haphazard-quality printing. This gem refused to succumb to those tendencies, and is a feast for the senses. Pristine and sparkling Gem Mint condition, and deservedly certified at the hobby's most superior level.