1967 Topps #45 Roger Maris - Yankees Blank-Back Proof - Unissued Extreme Rarity!

Sold For:

$2,160

Year:

1967

Auction:

2024 Summer

Lot #:

1682

Category:

Postwar Baseball - 1960s Cards

Legendary 1967 Topps proof-card rarity featuring #45 Roger Maris with the Yankees as opposed to the Cardinals. This has always been one of our favorite 1960s Topps cards! Maris was traded from the Yankees to the Cardinals prior to the 1967 season, but not before Topps had printed proof cards featuring him with the Yankees. A small quantity of these blank-backed proof cards were cut from sheets by legendary Topps art director and hobby pioneer Woody Gelman for the benefit of collectors. In the early 1970s, Bruce Yeko's Card Collectors Company had a very small supply (probably a couple dozen or fewer, all of which were almost certainly acquired from Gelman) that he offered for what would have been a king's ransom for a 1967 Topps card at the time: $1 each. For some reason virtually all 1967 Topps Maris-with-Yankees proof cards are very poorly centered, and the offered card is no exception, centered toward the far right (a very tiny portion of the next card appears on the left edge). Bright and crisp, both front and back, with brilliant colors and light wear to the four square corners. The blank reverse is clean. Free of any creases or wrinkles. Encapsulated as "Authentic" by PSA (submitted by REA). Opening Bid $500.