Extremely Rare 1971-1972 Topps Basketball Unopened Wax Box (24 Packs) - BBCE

Sold For:

$93,000

Year:

1971

Auction:

2021 Fall

Lot #:

1479

Category:

Unopened Packs and Boxes

Presented is an extremely rare original unopened wax box of 1971-1972 Topps basketball. The box houses twenty-four packs, each containing ten cards and a Topps Trio sticker for a total 264 cards (240 from the set and 24 Trios). Referring to this box as rare might be understating how difficult it is to find for collectors of unopened material. According to a September 2010 article in the PSA Sports Market Report, unopened-pack expert Steve Hart said that 1971-1972 Topps basketball "is one of the rarest Topps basketball unopened issues. I have only owned one box of 24 packs in the last 10 years." This is only the third unopened 24-pack box of 1971-1972 Topps basketball we have offered in the last eighteen years (the last was sold for $87,000 in our Summer 2021 auction). The offered box, which comes shrink-wrapped by Hart's company, Baseball Card Exchange, is an incredible surviving gem. The set is very popular among collectors for its bright colors and funky text, both telltale signs of an early-1970s issue. The set is loaded with stars and Hall of Famers, including Pete Maravich, Oscar Robertson, and rookie cards of Rick Barry, Dave Cowens, Bob Lanier, Larry Brown, Nate Archibald, and Dan Issel. This was also the first year that Topps included cards of ABA (American Basketball Association) players. While it is impossible to provide guarantees with reference to grading of unopened material, it is entirely possible that this box includes several MINT and GEM MINT examples of many cards in the set. The display box is very attractive with bold colors and only minor shelf wear visible. This is an exceptional unopened box, one of the rarest of all unopened issues, appearing almost exactly as it did on the store shelf fifty years ago! Reserve $10,000.