This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/22/2021
This lot closes on May 22nd, 2021 at 10:00 PM EDT for initial bids.
Each card has been signed by its subject, with just one exception. Additionally, each card has been encapsulated by PSA or PSA/DNA, with its signature Graded or Certified by PSA. Hall of Famer. A complete set of 324 Bowman Baseball cards from 1951 is offered. Presented here is the result of a collecting feat that must have required incalculable time, infinite patience and an abundant measure of sheer good fortune to achieve. It's almost difficult to imagine: the full array of baseball's collective history from 1951, to which each player has contributed his own, personal touch. More than 320 different, signed cards, including a pantheon of highlights that, by itself, would merit rapt attention and glowing praise: Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Whitey Ford, in their Rookie Card presentations adorned by vintage ink signatures! Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Nellie Fox, Bill Dickey ... the list is just phenomenal. The gallery memorializes the scriptings of players who left the mortal plane at far-too-young ages, it boasts the inclusion of the considerable number of players who were notoriously reluctant signers, it captured the athletes who felt determined to recede from public contact. They're all here, many represented by clear, decades-old autographs. Sadly, the majority of '51 Bowman's storied figures are now deceased.
The difficulty inherent in assembling this tremendous array cannot be overstated. How many hours of autograph-hound duty were involved, and how much determined networking was required, to add various "tough autographs" over the years? The observer can only marvel at the investments required, in toil, in organization, in planning and in traveling (not to mention grading fees). But, it's almost all done. The only card in this offering that is not signed is #225 Dan Bankhead; his card is here, though (graded PSA NM 7), which means that the set, itself, is complete, but the single Bankhead piece does not carry a signature. It should be noted that the signed cards, while reflecting traces of circulation, are predominantly very clean, respectable examples. Also, while all of the signatures have been Certified by PSA/DNA, a quantity of them have also been assigned numerical grades. For example, the Mantle, Campanella and Ford cards exhibit PSA/DNA MINT 9 scriptings, and Ted Williams' penmanship earned PSA/DNA GEM MT 10 distinction.
This is an absolutely magnificent offering, and a gathering of greatness that's museum-quality in every respect. Superb and spellbinding display quality throughout!
** Please Note - A Summary Conclusion, to ensure clarity: This offering consists of a complete, 324-card set of 1951 Bowman Baseball cards, numbered 1-324, inclusive. All of these cards are encapsulated: 323 pieces are signed by their respective subjects, and holdered by PSA or PSA/DNA with signatures Certified and/or Graded by PSA/DNA; one card, #225 Bankhead, is not signed but has been graded NM 7 by PSA.