This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/10/2017
With all the pomp and circumstance lavished on the 1968 Topps set for its iconic Nolan Ryan rookie card, of which a PSA 10 example recently sold for well over $600,000, there sometimes need to be a reminder to collectors everywhere that another debut card from the series stands as one of the most important pasteboards of the 1960s, that of Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. Considered by many to be the best defensive backstop in baseball history as the holder of 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence, it's somewhat ironic that "The Little General" won the 1968 Rookie of the Year award by just a single vote, not over Ryan but over his rookie card roommate, Jerry Koosman. The featured PSA 10 example of Johnny Bench's 1968 Topps rookie card is one of just 13 to reap PSA's highest praise. Dead-on GEM MINT edges and endpoints surround an incredible image of Bench and fellow rookie Tompkins, made all the more alluring but the clean images of each player within a pleasant afternoon sky, Bench with a slight overcast and Tompkins with a clear blue backdrop. There's not a trace of stray print to be found, even in the blue team circle that is usually the breeding ground for that sort of thing. A certain prize for any PSA Set Registry or cookie card collection.