(LOT 256)
1969 Topps #95 Johnny Bench All-Star Rookie PSA 10 GEM MINT – Highest Graded Example!
GEM MINT BENCH!!! Tantamount with Johnny Bench's arguable stature as our National Pastime's greatest all-time catcher is this extraordinary PSA 10 GEM MINT 1969 Topps #95 Bench marvel that shares the spotlight with only eight other examples as the finest of its kind! Johnny Bench played his entire 17-year career in the Queen City, leading the Reds to two consecutive World Championships in 1975 and '76 while belting 389 lifetime homers. The Cooperstown Inductee's combined offensive and defensive dominance placed him as one of baseball's finest players of the 1970s, with Bench capturing two MVP Awards in 1970 and 1972 as well as claiming the World Series MVP in the Red's 1976 sweep over the NY Yankees. His first full season was in 1968, when he claimed the National League Rookie of the Year award and started his amazing streak of being on 13 consecutive All-Star teams from 1968 to 1980. Topps awarded Bench his first full card the following '69 season; his 1968 rookie card is shared with Ron Tompkins; and this particular offering's world-class attributes substantiate the 10 Gem Mint assessment that has eluded 99.8% of the 4,700+ PSA-encapsulated specimens. Aside from the breathtaking image quality, razor-sharp corners and immaculate surfaces, most notable is the near-perfect centering and lack of any tilt that typically plagues most '69 Topps subjects. Indeed, this Cooperstown-worthy offering just may be the finest aesthetically pleasing 1969 Topps Johnny Bench example on the planet, with this GEM MINT 54-year-old pack-fresh memento residing as the perfect testament for his pinnacle standing!

MIN BID $7,500
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