This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/6/2021
It's fair to say that if Willie Mays made his baseball card debut in any other pre-war set, it would have been the premier card of the collection. But of course, another Big Apple centerfielder named Mantle was included in the 1951 Bowman series, and that makes for a rookie card tandem that has no equal. The featured card is graded PSA 3.5, clearly showing wear around the perimeter that is even and consistent but not as prevalent as you might expect for the modest grade, which helps to offset the usual centering shift toward the left horizontal edge. Some minor surface aging does little to detract from the regal image of arguably baseball's most complete player, pictured just mere months out of his teenage years. A card at this grade level will invariably have flaws, but this example minimizes their impact. And it's a Willie Mays rookie card!