(LOT 11)
1958 Topps #52 Roberto Clemente Yellow Team Letters PSA 9 MINT - Highest PSA Example!
MINT "YELLOW LETTERS" CLEMENTE!!! Presented here is one of the immortal Roberto Clemente's finest and most elusive vintage cards extant, a miraculous PSA 9 MINT 1958 Topps #52 gem showcasing the ultra-scarce Yellow Team Letters. PSA's pop report reveals that this seldom-surfacing giant is one of only seven examples (0.7%) at the highly coveted 9 assessment, with not a single specimen graded higher! Indeed, PSA has encapsulated some 1,000 Yellow Letter Clemente subjects, with NONE of these copies achieving the perfect 10 grade. Furthermore, it's no secret among advanced enthusiasts as to the exceptional scarcity of the Yellow versus White Team Letters, with the total (for all grades) of the two equaling some 4,700+ copies, of which the Yellow Letters count represents only 21% of that total.

Clemente played the game as well as any outfielder who ever graced a baseball field, with this five-tool Cooperstown inductee residing as one of our National Pastime's most iconic all-time superstars. While he was certainly a sensational all-around player, similar to the legendary Henry Louis Gehrig, Clemente's legacy is predominantly related to his sudden death when he was tragically killed after the 1972 season due to a horrific plane crash, with the heroic Clemente attempting to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua. A bona fide national hero, his list of accomplishments is absolutely remarkable, including a .317 lifetime batting average, exactly 3,000 career hits, the 1966 regular season MVP Award, four batting titles, and 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards.

If that isn't enough, in 1971 he won the World Series MVP when he virtually single-handedly dominated the Baltimore Orioles from both the batter's box and right field. From his inaugural 1955 Steel City playing days, Roberto revealed glimpses of greatness via his uncanny batting prowess, cannon-like throwing arm, and exceptional fielding and baserunning abilities, exhilarating the Pittsburgh faithful who sensed this budding superstar was about to embark on a career for the ages. The literally near-impossible 9 MINT assessment is justified by Clemente's impeccable batting image, brilliant hues, crystal-clear clarity, dazzling white borders, pinpoint corners, critical "PITTSBURGH PIRATES" yellow text, and super scarce excellent centering (only ever-so-slightly favoring the right edge).

To reiterate, the key element is the Yellow Team Name with the aforementioned PSA counts reflecting a whopping 3-to-1 disparity between the total White Letters versus Yellow Letters counts. Of utmost significance, it is this EXACT SAME CARD that sold for a stratospheric $114K in a Memory Lane May 2022 auction, a momentous indicator of the unparalleled desirability and rarity of the few existing PSA 9 Yellow Letter Clementes. It is not an overstatement to claim that Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente is worshiped by the Hispanic baseball community at a similar level that Jackie Robinson was to all African Americans. His unequivocal legacy cemented in stone, Clemente will forever reside as one of baseball's premier all-time players, with this remarkable cardboard rarity tantamount to his supreme heroism that will surely stand the test of time!

MIN BID $30,000

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