(LOT 271)
1974 Topps #283 Mike Schmidt PSA 10 GEM MINT
GEM MINT SCHMIDT!!! Presented here is an extraordinary PSA 10 GEM MINT 1974 Topps second-year subject of the HOF third sacker, Michael Jack Schmidt! Nearly impossible to find at the perfect 10 assessment, only thirteen, or 0.3%, of the 4,800+ PSA encapsulated copies have managed to achieve this pinnacle grade. Nearly every attribute of this momentous heirloom falls directly into the category of sheer perfection, including a near-perfectly centered image with zero tilt. It's no secret that most '74 Topps cards are plagued by off-positioned images, and this miraculous offering portrays a virtually 50/50 positioned Schmidt pose. Additional pack-fresh qualities include a crystal-clear batting pose, vibrant hues, original surface gloss, blinding white borders, and four pinpoint corner tips, with Schmidt's '74 Topps subject being his inaugural full-image MLB card. Regarding his incredible legacy, most lists of baseball's greatest all-time third basemen award the top nod to Mike Schmidt, besting the likes of Eddie Mathews, George Brett, Chipper Jones, Brooks Robinson and Pie Traynor.

Schmidt's MLB tenure commenced in 1972, when the slugging third sacker played in a mere 13 games for the Phillies as a rookie add-on in September, belting only a single home run in 34 plate appearances. In 1973, he exhibited a glimpse of his enormous power by clubbing 18 home runs, with Schmidt now embarking on his storied career. The following '74 campaign, the year this card was issued, Schmidt crushed 36 home runs to lead the Senior Circuit, the first of his amazing run of walloping 30+ homers in 13 out of 14 seasons, including four seasons of 40 or more. His lifetime accolades include 548 lifetime home runs, three NL MVPs, ten consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1976-85, a four-homer game accomplished on April 17, 1976, a 12-time All-Star, a 1980 World Championship, and a third base nod on the All-Century Team along with Brooks Robinson. This breathtaking keepsake transcends time to an era when the immortal Michael Jack Schmidt was launching a career that would ultimately place him as our national pastime's pinnacle third baseman. By the time he called it quits after the 1989 campaign, his uncontested stature was truly etched in stone. We cannot imagine a finer cardboard collectible than this supreme PSA 10 second-year Topps masterpiece that, via its virtually perfect centering, just may suffice as the finest of all 1974 Topps Mike Schmidt subjects!

MIN BID $10,000
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