1968 Topps Test Basketball #17 Zelmo Beaty

Sold For:

$1,140

Year:

1968

Auction:

2019 Summer

Lot #:

2387

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Extremely attractive example of #17 Zelmo Beaty from the extraordinarily rare 1968 Topps Basketball Test set. This is one of rarest sets of all 1960s Topps test issues. This is only the fourth time we have offered even a single example in the last twenty years! This set was never actually issued to the public and it appears that approximately only 200 examples are known to exist. According to reports that we have read, this series was first discovered in the early 1990s when a find of approximately eighty cards was discovered. In the following years, according to the collectors we have spoken with, an additional twenty cards surfaced, and then another group of approximately ninety-three cards became available from the son of a Topps executive. The black-and-white images used to make these elusive cards are from press photos released by the players' respective teams. The reverse of the cards feature puzzle pieces, which when assembled form a large picture of Wilt Chamberlain dunking. Bright and crisp, both front and back, the offered example is centered to the left with four strong corners. A very faint crease would cause it to technically grade Vg despite a far superior appearance. This is a very attractive example from this unbelievably rare Topps test issue.
Reserve $200. Estimate (open).