(LOT 92)
1966 Topps #1 Willie Mays PSA 9 MINT - Highest PSA Example!
HIGHEST GRADED MAYS!!! It is abundantly apropos that the Topps Chewing Gum Co. would choose Willie Mays as their #1 subject for the 1966 set, for the Giants superstar center fielder was baseball's greatest player during the 1960s. The Say Hey Kid's unparalleled hitting, fielding and baserunning exploits had rightfully earned him this dubious honor, and as a perfect testament to Willie's all-time stature, presented here is one of his most breathtaking cards on the planet, a momentous PSA 9 MINT 1966 Topps #1 subject. Exhibiting near-impossible flawless centering, not a single PSA example has managed to achieve the 10 GEM MINT assessment, placing this grand offering as the best of the rest! While there are twenty-five other PSA 9s, it is hard to imagine that many of them could possibly boast the near-perfect positioning this timeless keepsake portrays between four dazzling white borders.

1966 Topps subjects are plagued by typical tilts and skewed illustrations, with this Cooperstown-worthy prize defying all odds via its excellently positioned Mays half-bust pose. Some of the few well-centered PSA 9s have resulted in stratospheric pricing points, as evidenced by three such examples fetching $38K, $48K, and $59K over the past two years. The 1966 campaign would mark the final time of Willie May's iconic career that the amazing center fielder would surpass the 30-homer and 100-RBI mark, with Willie ultimately blasting 660 lifetime homers, accumulating 3,293 hits, knocking in 1909 runs capturing 12 Gold Glove Awards, claiming two NL MVP Awards, and being selected to an extraordinary 24 All-Star squads! This spectacular PSA 9 cardboard wonder celebrated its 57th birthday in 2023, and emanates both eye appeal and technical attributes more than worthy of the elite assessment. The Mays image projects extremely high-level definition, with its unparalleled clarity providing an almost 3D-like depth perception. To reiterate, it is miraculously set in a virtually perfect manner between four angelic white borders, with the immaculate surfaces, superb contrast, bright hues, and blisteringly sharp corner tips providing additional highlights substantiating the remarkable grade.

One look at this timeless marvel immediately conjures up the notion that this masterpiece could have easily been the inaugural subject awarded the "perfect" PSA 10 GEM MINT assessment. As a perfect testament to Mays' unparalleled legacy, after Mays hit a booming triple in a particular 1960s game, a sportswriter eloquently stated in his newspaper article the next day: "The only outfielder who could have caught it was the player who hit it!" Indeed, that truly summarizes the sheer essence of the great Willie Mays, who always said, "Baseball is a simple game. They pitch the baseball, I hit it. They hit the baseball, I catch it." In closing, a magnificent dynamic duo, tantamount to the Say Hey Kid's pinnacle standing among nearly all MLB players, comes along this super condition-sensitive 9 MINT heirloom that has not been surpassed by a single PSA example, proudly residing at the top of the prestigious PSA Pop Chart as the finest of its kind!

MIN BID $10,000

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