(LOT 262)
1969 Topps #80 Earl Monroe Rookie PSA 9 MINT
THE PEARL!!! As a senior at Winston-Salem State University, Earl Monroe averaged a staggering 41.5 points per game and was dubbed "Earl, the Super Pearl", later Earl the Pearl. He was a two-time NCAA All-American and led his WSSU team to the NCAA College Division II championship in 1967 before the Baltimore Bullets drafted him second overall in the 1967 NBA Draft. Scoring 1,991 points in his first season, Monroe was named NBA Rookie of the Year. Earl the Pearl played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Bullets and New York Knicks, capturing the 1973 NBA championship alongside fellow Hall of Famers Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere and Willis Reed. Offered here is a 1969 Topps #80 Earl Monroe PSA 9 MINT. This is the highest graded example available in the hobby and features all of the aesthetics expected from a 9 MINT issue. Spot-on centering on the face, deep, rich colors, razor-sharp corners and edging, and flawless surfaces substantiate the assessment as the highest graded in the hobby. Aside from the off-center reverse, we are hard-pressed to find any flaw as to why this would not garner GEM MINT 10 status. This incredible relic of one of the NBA's great Hall of Famers stands tall as one of the finest we have had the pleasure to offer.

MIN BID $1,500
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