(LOT 85)
1952 Bowman #218 Willie Mays PSA 8 NM-MT
1952 MAYS!!!... Any early baseball card depicting the immortal Willie Mays ranks high on any advanced collector's list with his 1951 Bowman rookie card and 1952 Topps keepsakes leading the way. Running right behind these two rookie cards in stature is Willie's highly coveted 1952 high-number (#218) Bowman 2nd-year card that is presented here in a sensational PSA 8, with only 10 PSA specimens graded higher! Indeed, scarce for the grade, PSA has encapsulated 1,780+ of these highly coveted mementos. There is not much to say about Mays that most avid baseball fans don't already know. Highly regarded as baseball's greatest all-around player ever, Mays walloped 660 lifetime homers over 24 incredible seasons as well as catching virtually every batted ball directed his way.
No wonder when Willie Mays was once asked to simplify the way he plays the game he so eloquently responded: "They throw the ball I hit it... they hit the ball I catch it"! While he will forever be remembered for his 1954 World Series game #1 spectacular over-the-shoulder catch in the Polo Grounds' deepest confines from a Vic Wertz batted ball, not even that jaw-dropping moment exceeds the sheer brilliance of this offering's unparalleled aesthetics. The lithographic image is crystal clear, emanating the brightest array of colored hues culminating with a 3D cloudy sky setting. Snow white borders and no blemishes or print marks make this one to own. Bid to own this Mays card from 1952.
MIN BID $7,500
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