(LOT 215)
1963 Topps #540 Roberto Clemente PSA 9 MINT - Only 2 PSA Examples Graded Higher!
STUNNING CLEMENTE 9!!! Only two PSA examples have managed to best this magnificent PSA 9 MINT 1963 Topps #540 Clemente subject! The 1963 campaign would see Pittsburgh's star right fielder capture his third consecutive Gold Glove Award while batting a stellar .320. The incomparable Clemente would ultimately end his career with a sensational .317 lifetime batting average, 3,000 career hits, the 1966 regular season MVP Award, four batting titles, and 12 consecutive gold glove awards. Yet, he will always be remembered for his tragic death when, after the 1972 season, his plane crashed carrying supplies to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua. This breathtaking PSA 9 card truly merits its exalted assessment via the Clemente sparkling image, pristine colored hues, including a sensational powder blue lower border revealing no blemishes, blinding white borders, razor-sharp corner tips and flawless surfaces.

Atypical for any 1963 card is the lack of any etching/chipping on the baby blue lower text box that is the standard stigma for any 1963 Topps baseball subject, and as a final stamp of approval, the near-perfect centering steals the show. If you are anxiously pursuing cardboard perfection for one of baseball's greatest all-time players, then this unfathomable 1963 Topps Clemente keepsake is the one for you, serving as a grand testament to this Cooperstown hero. In closing and substantiating its stature is the fact that another PSA 9 fetched a lofty $56K in a January 2023 Memory Lane Auction, with its super scarce PSA 9 assessment equal to Clemente's remarkable diamond achievements that will surely echo for eternity!

MIN BID $6,500
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