(LOT 1093)
Superb 1953 Bowman Near Set (missing only #'s 35 & 40) - All 94 Cards Graded PSA 8 w/the Exception of #1 (PSA 7) and #95 (SGC 88/8) - Incredible 7.97 Weighted G.P.A!
Presented here is a spectacular 1953 Bowman 94-card near set with 92 of the 94 subjects graded PSA 8! The two other subjects reflect technical assessments of PSA 7 (#1 LeBaron) and SGC 88/8 (#95 Groza), with the two missing cards being #35 (Catlin) and #40 (Gillom). Dubbed the "Big White Football Set" by many collectors due to the large white football affixed to the obverse side's colorful images, the 1953 Bowman 96-subject compilation is considered by many advanced enthusiasts as the toughest 1950's set to piece together. Due to its limited production versus other Bowman sets from the ear, its 24 "single-print" subjects and ultra- sensitive centering issues (similar to the prior year's iconic 1952 Bowman Large), compiling a high-grade set is an excruciating task.

With that in mind, we are proud to offer this 94-card (98% complete) gathering that depicts an amazing 7.97 weighted G.P.A. with 93 of the 94 subjects reflecting the sanctified NM/MT 8 assessment (#1 LeBaron card is a PSA 7)! This miraculous offering would rank 4th on the current PSA Set Registry, with the arguable three most popular cards being LeBaron (#1), Gifford and Cross (#96). Its population status is mind-boggling since 25 of the subjects reflect "NONE Graded Higher (Highest Graded) stature as well as 41 subjects bested by only a single example! Indeed, that totals to 66 or 69% of the 94 cards standing at or near the top of the "pop" charts.

The 20 Hall of Famers include legendary stars such as Graham, Gifford, Tittle, Layne, Bednarik, Van Brocklin, Groza and so many more Canton, Ohio inductees with the four rookie cards being Le Baron, Renfro, Marchibroda and Cross. The utmost compliments to our esteemed consignor who obviously "cherry picked" many of these PSA 8 gems portraying pack-fresh sparkling hues and razor sharp perimeters; painstakingly scouring the hobby to accumulate one of the finest 1953 Bowman football compilations imaginable. As previously mentioned, since 92 of the 94 offered subjects reflect PSA 8 grades (with the other two cards being a PSA 7 - #1 Le Baron and SGC 88/8 - #95 Groza), it was unnecessary to list all of the subjects and their respective grades. We highly advise the most sophisticated collectors to aggressively pursue this magnificent gridiron compilation that would take a seemingly infinite amount of time to compile in "NM/MT" condition! SMR Value over $20,500.

MIN BID $5,000