This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/12/2021
Babe Ruth became the all-time home run king when he hit his 162nd round-tripper in 1921, surpassing Roger Conner. The Babe pushed his home run total to 714 at the time of his retirement in 1935, a mark that baseball aficionados were sure would never be broken. Many great sluggers made a run at the Babe, but all fell short for one reason or another until "The Hammer" Hank Aaron knocked the Bambino from the top spot in 1974. Aaron never flashed gaudy home run stats like some of his contemporaries, in fact, he never reached the 50 homer plateau in any season. But his consistency in posting 30-40 homer seasons for over two decades catapulted Aaron to the top of the all-time list. Aaron made his baseball card debut in the 1954 Topps set, a collection that doesn't contain a card of Mickey Mantle, but it's a pretty safe bet that even if it did, it would be one of the few Topps collections where the Mantle card isn't the marquee pasteboard. And while rookie cards of Al Kaline and Ernie Banks in the series would provide more than enough power to lead any Topps series, it's the introduction of home run legend Hank Aaron that rises to the top as one of the most coveted debut cards ever produced. Graded by PSA, the presented NM/MT example has easily met the increasingly demanding standards set forth by the California grading company, delivering a pristine specimen that truly pleases the eye. The centering is within a few degrees of a bull's-eye while the edges and endpoints meet the upper-end of specifications of NM/MT or better. The image Hank shows keen sharpness, flanked by a glowing orange backdrop that is uncommonly intense for the issue. Flip the card over and you're treated to a sharp, slightly toned reverse beaming with green pigment that is unwilling to relinquish its hold on the edges and corners. Among the top-five post-war HOF rookie issues produced, and an absolute necessity in any respectable high-grade HOF collection.