(LOT 86)
1957 Topps #77 Bill Russell Rookie Card (PSA 8 NM/MT) - Only 5 Graded Higher!
Any list of "greatest basketball Players ever" has to include the immortal Hall of Famer Bill Russell who along with Jordan, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson stand tall as the finest players in NBA history. While choosing one of those all-timers as the "best of the rest" is a seemingly impossible task, there are many historians who select Bill Russell based on his unparalleled winning legacy. The iconic center won an unfathomable 11 NBA Championships in his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, tying the Montreal Canadians Henri Richard with the most professional championships accumulated by a North American athlete.

Even before this 5 League MVPs and 12 All-Star games placed his indelible mark on NBA history, he was winning NCAA college championships, capturing titles in 1955/'56 as well as winning a gold medal with the 1956 USA Basketball team. Bottom line is no American athlete, save Henri Richard, has ever enjoyed Bill Russell's level of winning success; not Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio, Gretzky, or even Michael Jordan, with Russell's legacy forever enshrined in Canton, Ohio. It is for all of these reasons that serious hobby enthusiasts seek his highly coveted 1957 Topps rookie card, presented here in a breathtaking PSA 8 holder. If you think finding a high-grade Russell rookie is an easy chore then think again since only 6% of the approximate 700 encapsulated examples have achieved the hallowed PSA NM/MT 8 assessment with a paltry 5 specimens graded higher!


The classic Russell pose donning his white #6 Celtic jersey atypically reveals better than average centering between clean white borders. The standard stigma of the Russell rookie card is extremely poor "top to bottom" positioning, with this extraordinary offering reflecting virtually 50/50 horizontal placement, and approximately 35/65 "left to right" centering. Relatively clean surfaces, right-angled corners and fine resolution complete this grandeur keepsake that merits a final resting place in any world-class rookie card or 1957 Topps compilation!

MIN BID $7,500

_