(LOT 280)
1971 Topps #525 Ernie Banks PSA 9 MINT
MINT BANKS!!! Not often does a 51-year-old "9 MINT" cardboard issue of a great Hall of Fame player surface, but such is the case for this breathtaking 1971 Topps #525 Ernie Banks marvel. Graded an incredible PSA 9 MINT and standing as a bona-fide "Pop 6" marvel, it has only been bested by a single PSA 10 example. Indeed, of the nearly 1,700 PSA encapsulated copies, only one 1971 Topps Ernie Banks as managed to achieve sheer perfection. It's no secret among hobbyists regarding the sheer condition-sensitivity of the 1971 Topps subjects, standing right alongside other sets such as the T205 gold Border and 1962 Topps brown border compilations that leave collectors with condition-wary issues. That said, finding a near-immaculate PSA 9 MINT '71 Topps card for any subject is an extremely tall order, let alone one that represents one of our National Pastime's greatest all-time players. By 1971, the great Ernie Banks was in the twilight of his illustrious career, with the Cooperstown Inductee playing in only 39 games before retiring at the end of the season.

Indeed, his 1971 Topps card would be Bank's final mainstream card issued during his playing days. Known throughout Chicago as "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks clubbed 512 lifetime home runs and is still the only shortstop ever to claim to consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 & 1959). A perfect testament for his magnificent legacy, this virtually perfect card symbolizes everything all of Banks outstanding qualities primarily via its pack-fresh surfaces, brilliant hues and clarity emanating from his classic "bat over shoulder" portrait image, and near impossible to find spot-on centering. Of course, the most significant attribute are the near-immaculate black borders that only reveal the slightest microscopic areas of touching along the left edge. An extraordinary PSA Set Registry collectors' dream, along with only a handful of other examples it has only been bested by a single example, proudly residing as one of the premier 1971 Topps Ernie Banks subjects extant!

MIN BID $7,500