This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/6/2021
One of the interesting things about card collecting is that an obscure issue that laid dormant for decades could suddenly become the most coveted collectible of its kind virtually overnight. This 1960 "rookie card" of Cassius Clay didn't originate in packs of bubble gum or as a promotional item offered with the purchase of a random product but actually started as a page in the Swedish "Hemmets Journal." Originally issued as part of a four-panel spread along with Wilma Rudolph, Swedish racewalker John Ljunggren and Danish soccer star Harald Nielsen, the page was intended to be put into a binder. At the time, baseball cards were the primary collectible in America with football, basketball, and hockey cards existing as an afterthought, so you can probably imagine that any other sport wasn't even on the radar. But today's collector has branched out past the four major sports and discovered issues in the realm of boxing and soccer that Europeans have been enjoying for decades. The future Muhammad Ali is depicted as an Olympian of those 1960 Olympics and at just 18-years old, not became the significant figure in the 1960 Rome event but went on to be lauded as a counterculture hero. Hand cut to virtual perfection, this debut card has received a grade of MINT 9 by PSA, one of just 10 to earn the elusive grade with a lone PSA 10 GEM MINT on record. While there's no telling exactly when this cut was separated from the three other athletes, but whoever did the job took the proper care and precision to get it right. Virtually perfect centering, razor-sharp MINT to GEM MINT corners and an amazing display of color and depth has this beauty looking about as good as it can be for a hand-cut issue. This is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle or the 1986 Fleer Micahel Jordan of the boxing world; a world-class piece to add to any collection.