(LOT 71)
1958 Topps #47 Roger Maris Rookie PSA 9 MINT
MARIS ROOKIE!!! Once Roger Maris found his power in the Cleveland minor league system, the 21-year-old led the Indianapolis Indians to the 1956 junior World Series championship. His call-up was inevitable and, in his debut, Maris went 3-for-5 with his second game marking his first home run, an 11-inning grand slam against the Detroit Tigers. Maris was traded to the Kansas City Athletics and then the New York Yankees in 1958 & '59 respectively. The addition of Roger Maris in the powerful Yankees lineup that included Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard, Bill Skowron, Yogi Berra and Johnny Blanchard, to name a few.
In 1960, Roger rewarded New York with 39 homers, a league leading 112 RBIs, and the first of two straight AL MVP awards, though his 1961 nod gets all the press. In 1961, Maris and Mantle battled nearly the entire season, chasing Babe Ruth's 34-year-old home run record of 60 in a season. Mantle fell off pace due to injury and Maris clouted 61 against the Boston Red Sox in the final game of the season. They also led the Yankees to the World Series title that same season, ultimately fulfilling New York's plan when they originally traded for the right fielder.
Presented is one of the finest Roger Maris rookie cards holdered an astonishing 9 MINT by PSA with not a single specimen achieving a higher assessment. With immaculate aesthetics including a breathtaking autumn-orange background, Maris leaps from the card in brilliant full-color with a perfectly framed image. Magnificently centered between four blinding white borders with flawless surfaces terminating at razor-sharp corner tips, this highest graded example is a virtual masterpiece and a marvel of collecting superiority.
MIN BID $5,000
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