(LOT 55)
1948 Bowman #8 Phil Rizzuto "Rookie Card" (PSA Mint 9) – NONE Graded Higher!
This sensational 1948 Bowman #8 Phil Rizzuto rookie card has been graded a very scarce PSA Mint 9, with only ten other examples joining its world-class stature as the finest of its kind! Indeed, PSA has encapsulated nearly 900 Rizzuto rookie cards with NONE of them achieving the pinnacle "10" assessment. Rizzuto's inaugural MLB season was 1941, with the slick-fielding Hall of Famer eventually winning the shortstop job and ably assisting the Yankees winning their 9th world championship. Along with Derek Jeter, legendary shortstop Phil "The Scooter" Rizzuto remains one of the two greatest shortstops in New York Yankee history, with both of these Bronx legends residing as the only Yankee shortstops enshrined in Cooperstown, New York. Rizzuto's uncanny fielding ability places him as one of baseball's finest all-time shortstops, and along with DiMaggio and Berra, he was one of the Yankee mainstays that led them to five consecutive championships from 1949 – 1953.

A lifetime .273 hitter, Rizzuto's greatest season was in 1950 when he batted a stellar .324, eventually claiming the American League MVP, something Derek Jeter never accomplished. A magnificent Phil Rizzuto cardboard gem, it reveals "The Scooter" in his classic Yankee pinstripe uniform, with the well centered image depicting only a mild favoritism towards the right edge, and the slightest "tilt" barely visible to the naked eye. Pristine-like surfaces, crystal-clear clarity, razor sharp corner tips and a super clean verso all combine to substantiate the highly coveted "Mint 9" assessment. It should be noted that barely over 1% of the total PSA encapsulated Rizzuto rookies have been fortunate enough to achieve the hallowed "Mint 9" grade that places this museum worthy masterpiece alongside ten other specimens as the bona-fide "best of the best". A spectacular 1948 Bowman Phil Rizzuto rookie-card, it conjures up vivid memories of his unparalleled ability to scoop up ground balls and turn double plays in a manner seldom seen by most shortstops who ever graced the diamond!

MIN BID $3,000
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