(LOT 283)
1952 Topps #1 Andy Pafko "Black Back" PSA 7.5 NM+ - "POP 1"
"POP 1" PAFKO!!! Who would have thought that a non-Hall of Famer baseball card could generate as much popularity as the Andy Pafko 1952 Topps issue. While Pafko enjoyed a fine career as a fine hitting outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, his 1952 Topps #1 subject has become one of the cornerstone cards in the industry. Presented here is Andy Pafko's "Black Back" variation in an outstanding PSA 7.5 NM+ holder, the SOLE example at this esteemed plateau with only seven PSA specimens graded higher! With PSA encapsulating roughly 830+ examples at the time this was written, that equates to only 0.8% of the total Pafko PSA graded subjects exceeding this world-class offering. Population data such as this cannot be ignored and lends itself to a high-grade Pafko being one of the scarcest and most significant common cards in the industry.
A spectacular half-body Pafko graces the front side, with the legendary image revealing superb horizontal centering and a modest partiality towards the right edge. Bright white borders, rich hues, right-angled corners with diminutive touching, and the lack of any glaring surface flaws are the key highlights of this pack-fresh masterpiece. While it may not be the T206 Wagner or '52 Topps Mantle, the fact remains that this unique for the grade offering has only been bested by seven other Pafko '52 Topps "Black Back" copies. It's no secret that finding high-grade #1 subject 70-year-old cards is an excruciating task, due to their direct exposure to the elements as a result of being placed on top of stacked cards. Considering the 1952 Topps gathering is the undisputed "king" of the post-WWII issues, this resides as a grand opportunity to capture one of the set's most revered high-grade subjects for your world-class compilation!
MIN BID $7,500
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