This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/2/2022
Hall of Famer Hank Aaron didn’t break into the big leagues with the same type of grandiose fanfare lavished upon his New York City counterparts, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, but he looked every bit the part of an upcoming superstar. At just 19 years old, “The Hammer” batted .362 with 22 homers and 125 RBI in just 137 games for the 1953 Southern American League Jacksonville Braves. While he never reached the 50-homer mark in any of his 23 years in the big leagues, Aaron was a model of consistency for decades, topping the 40-homer mark eight times, the 30-homer mark fifteen times, and took the National League home run crown four times while also winning two NL batting titles and a 1957 MVP award in leading the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series victory of the New York Yankees. It wasn’t long before Aaron earned the respect of other sports legends; Boxing legend Muhammad Ali once called Hank Aaron “The only man I idolize more than myself ” and in 1970, Mickey Mantle said “As far as I’m concerned, Aaron is the best baseball player of my era. He is to baseball for the last 15 years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He’s never received the credit he’s due.” So even with important rookie cards of Al Kaline and Ernie Banks heading up the 1954 Topps baseball series, it’s the debut pasteboard of Hank Aaron that stands as the flagship card of the series. The offered collectible represents the top-end of the elite NM/MT grade, treating the enthusiast to a pristine background of glowing, consistent pumpkin orange that acts as a welcome introduction to youthful slugger and creating an effect of the navy blue Braves cap to appear to be jumping off of the surface. Each of the four corners projects a strong NM/MT appearance and appears to be making a case for the next grading tier, while the centering shows a gentle lean to the right edge but just a degree or two. The surface is graced with a shimmering rendition of original gloss, and similarly, the reverse is an appealing green from tip to tip with virtually no chipping apparent. A stunning card, offered at the top end of the grade.