Lot # 165: “Unique for the Grade” Willie Mays 1952 Coca- Cola Playing Tips Test Card (PSA EX/MT 6) - “1 of 1” & The HIGHEST GRADED Example on ANY Population Report!

Category: 1950-1959

Starting Bid: $2,500.00

Bids: 5 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring Break Rarities Auction 2019",
which ran from 3/14/2019 4:00 PM to
4/6/2019 7:00 PM




(LOT 165)
"Unique for the Grade" Willie Mays 1952 Coca- Cola Playing Tips Test Card (PSA EX/MT 6) - "1 of 1" & The HIGHEST GRADED Example on ANY Population Report!

Another incredible offering from the world-class "Mays Fan Club Collection", this "PSA EX/MT 6" 1952 Coca-Cola Mays offering proudly stands as the SOLE and HIGHEST GRADED example on ANY Population Report! Considered extremely rare and "unique for the grade", this momentous keepsake is one of only 10 PSA encapsulated copies, with its closest competitor residing in a PSA 4 holder. The 1952 Coca-Cola Playing Tips test cards issued only two different players; one of which was the "Say Hey Kid" with the other being various versions of the fellow Hall of Famer Phil "The Scooter" Rizzuto. Measuring approximately 3-1/2" at its widest point and 7-1/2" in length, this ultra-obscure regional issue was manufactured to test the concept of inserting these irregularly shaped playing tips cards into cartoons of sodas bottles.

Obviously not as widely distributed as the regular 1952 Coca-Cola 10-subject issue, finding Wille Mays or Phil Rizzuto subjects is an excruciating chore, let alone locating the single/finest of its kind example. A perfect testament to Mays' unparalleled legacy as the arguable greatest center fielder to ever grace a baseball diamond, its uncontested "king of the hill" stature as well as its extreme paucity level places it as one of the foremost Mays cards extant. Its outstanding eye appeal includes a brilliant hues image of Mays holding a Coca-Cola bottle with the classic "Coke is a Natural" slogan and 1952 Giants home schedule both well projected via their radiant yellow backgrounds.

No obtrusive flaws are evident, the perimeter edging is sharp, and the verso includes an extensive Willie Mays "bio" and classic "Coca-Cola" red/white colored logo (note that the mays biography is a different approach as opposed to the "playing tips" that are included on the backs of the regularly distributed 10-subject 1952 issue). One of the most fragile and scarcest "Say Hey Kid" baseball cards, its rookie-era distribution and "1 of 1 – best of the rest" status place it as one of the most significant Mays cardboard issues extant, and one that merits the utmost attention from any elite Willie Mays enthusiast!

MIN BID $2,500

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