(LOT 50)
1954 Topps #90 Willie Mays PSA 9 MINT - Highest Graded Example!
SAY HEY KID MARVEL!!! Presented here is an absolutely breathtaking PSA 9 MINT 1954 Topps Mays gem portraying one of the finest Willie Mays portrait images known. To date, roughly 4,300 examples have been handled by the illustrious PSA Grading Service, with this offering one of only thirteen at this pinnacle plateau and not a single 10 GEM MINT specimen listed on the PSA Pop Chart! Indeed, this magnificent marvel currently shares the spotlight as the finest of its kind! After Willie Mays returned to major league baseball from his Korean War military service, the Topps Gum Company celebrated his highly anticipated homecoming with a Mays subject depicting two classic images, both a portrait and batting pose set against a radiant yellow background. The 1954 campaign would be a break-out year for the Say Hey Kid, to say the least. Not only would he claim the National League's MVP Award for his league-leading .345 batting average and 41 round-trippers, he would also lead the Giants to a World Championship via their four-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians in the Fall Classic.

Who could ever forget Game One? With the game tied at two apiece in the 8th inning, it would be Willie Mays' incredible over-the-shoulder catch in the deepest confines of the Polo Grounds that would set the pace for the remainder of the series. With two runners aboard, Vic Wertz crushed Don Liddle's pitch towards the center field fence some 450+ feet from home plate. Not batting an eyelash, Mays raced towards the fence and in a heart stopping moment, reached over his shoulders to snare the mammoth drive and preserve the tied game, with the Giants eventually winning in extra innings. Synonymous with that iconic catch is the awe-inspiring eye-appeal of this world-class marvel, including two crystal-clear Mays images, a radiant yellow-hued setting, near-perfect side-to-side centering, immaculate surfaces and pinpoint corner tips. As you stare at this time-tested cardboard wonder in virtual disbelief, it literally appears as if an exhilarated youth just pulled it from a 1954 wax pack at their local mom and pop candy store.

We cannot overemphasize the extraordinary eye-appeal and original technical attributes this Mays heirloom offers, easily meriting the ultra-scarce 9 MINT assessment. It therefore comes as little surprise that two other examples fetched $84K and $72K momentous pricing points over the past several years, more than substantiating its exalted stature. Compared to the immortal Mickey Mantle, a myriad of Willie Mays cardboard issues have been grossly undervalued for quite some time, and worth the recent upward tick realized for his 1951 Bowman rookie card, we highly anticipate this typically infectious pricing surge to spread across all of his high-grade 1950s subjects. One of the finest Say Hey Kid vintage cards on the planet, its pack-fresh eminence places it as a remarkable addition to any elite Willie Mays or 1954 Topps PSA Registered collection!

MIN BID $15,000

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