1968 Topps 3-D Roberto Clemente SGC FAIR 20 - Rare "Experimental XOGRAPH" Ink Stamp on Reverse

Sold For:

$22,200

Year:

1968

Auction:

2025 January

Lot #:

5

Category:

Prewar Baseball - T Tobacco Cards

Graded FAIR 20 by SGC. Offered is an incredibly appealing example one of Roberto Clemente's most sought-after cards, the key to the 1968 Topps 3-D set, as well as one of the single most valuable cards from the entire 1960s decade. The offered example features the extremely rare Visual Panographics, Inc., ink stamp on the reverse. It is one of only a handful of 1968 Topps 3-D examples of any player we have ever seen stamped in this significant manner. The ink stamp on the reverse reads: "This is an experimental XOGRAPH card produced as a limited edition. Not for public circulation or distribution. Not for resale. To be returned to: Visual Panographics, Inc., 488 Madison Avenue, New York, New York." ("Xograph" was a trademark of Visual Panographics, Inc., the company that worked with Topps to produce the 1968 Topps 3-D set.) In the world of baseball-card collecting, many serious collectors revere the 1968 Topps 3-D set more than any other set of its era. Whether these cards were issued in stores remains a mystery, but legend has always had it that, as a test, a few boxes appeared in selected stores in the Brooklyn, New York, area. To the best of our knowledge, however, most 1968 Topps 3-D cards can ultimately be traced back to someone who worked at Topps or Visual Panographics (the Texas-based company that produced these cards for Topps). Advanced collectors have always held 1968 Topps 3-D cards in the highest esteem, both for their extreme rarity as well as for their very striking and unique design. The offered card displays near-perfect centering and bold black printing on the reverse. Glue on the reverse accounts for the modest technical grade. One of the few cards deserving to be classified as a modern classic, the 1968 Topps 3-D Roberto Clemente stands on its own very comfortably with the most significant and noteworthy cards from all eras. This is a beautiful low-grade example of one of postwar-card collecting's most noteworthy and high-profile cards.