(LOT 123)
"Rare for the Grade" 1951 Topps Ringside #32 Rocky Marciano Rookie Card PSA 9 Mint – "Pop 3"; Highest Graded PSA Example!
Finding a PSA 9 Mint 1951 Topps Ringside Rocky Marciano rookie card is as near-impossible a task as Marciano losing a boxing match, with the heavyweight boxer ending his incomparable Hall of Fame career with a perfect 49-0 record. Justifying that notion is PSA illustrious "Pop" Chart that indicates of the 600+ encapsulated Marciano Ringside subjects, a meager 3 examples (0.5%) have managed to achieve the hallowed "9" assessment, with none graded higher. Indeed, this breathtaking PSA 9 Mint Marciano offering joins only two other specimens as the finest of its kind! The extremely popular 1951 Topps Ringside set includes 96 subjects, with some of the cards issued in pairs via a perforated edge. The two archetypal stigmas of the Marciano #32 subject are the dreaded perforation as well as a majority of them revealing unsightly centering issues.

Fortunately for the most meticulous collectors, this miraculous offering distances itself from both of those negative attributes, with all four edges excluding any perforations and the classic Marciano boxing image portraying near-perfect alignment between four bright white borders. A breathtaking array of sparking hues steals the show, as the immortal Marciano is about to punch a speed bag during one of his vigorous workouts. Both surfaces are virtually immaculate, and the perimeter edging including four pinpoint corners is razor sharp. One of the three pinnacle 1951 Topps Ringside Marciano's extant, it conjures up vivid memories of this heavyweight's sheer excellence, with the former baseball player winning the Heavyweight Title in 1952 when he knocked out then champion Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round. Marciano would defend his title six-times including a knockout of his boxing hero Joe Louis, ending his career with an unfathomable 49-0 record and 43 knockouts via his incredible punching power.

Tragically, like other legendary sports heroes who lost their lives in aviation accidents such as Knute Rockne, Roberto Clemente, Thurman Munson, Payne Stewart, and most recently Kobe Bryant (just to mention a few), Rocky Marciano would perish in a 1969 plane crash at the tender age of 46. Sadly, while the immortal Marciano would not see himself inducted into the iconic International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990, he had already placed an indelible mark on the boxing community as being one of the all-time greatest heavyweight boxers along with Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Jack Johnson. The key card in the 1951 Topps Ringside set, this extremely rare for the grade PSA 9 Mint "best of the rest" rookie offering stands as the perfect testament for Rocky Marciano's legacy, defying father-time by retaining nearly all of its pristine factory issued qualities over the past 71 years!
MIN BID $5,000
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