1961 TOPPS BASEBALL NEAR SET (583/587) W/ 11 GRADED CARDS including #300 MANTLE SGC 5.5, CLEMENTE SGC 5, #406 MANTLE SGC 5.5, MARICHAL SGC 5, BERRA SGC 6, MANTLE MVP SGC 5, AARON AS SGC 6.5, MANTLE AS SGC 7 NM, MAYS AS SGC 7 NM
Another quality consignment brought to you by Vahoota (AA Sports Cards)
If you reside in Canada and would like us to put our 26 year history of selling vintage sports cards on eBay to work for you, please inquire about our eBay consignment service.
583 of the 587 cards in the 1961 Topps baseball set are present including (11) cards that have just been graded by SGC including all four (4) Mickey Mantle cards and other key stars.
This 1961 Topps baseball near set has been consigned to us by the original owner who kept them from his childhood. Unlike most kids of the era, he took very good care of his cards. He never played games with them at school or let anyone else handle his treasured pieces of cardboard!
While some, including Boyer and Labine, have a corner ding, these are limited in number and have been noted where possible. As is typical for the issue, a portion show wax stains, surface wear or print marks including: #492 Fairly, #493 Zimmer, #503 Francona, #552 Archer, and some of the Sporting News All-Stars. Unless otherwise noted, the only true low grade cards in the entire run are as follows:
#41 NL Batting Leaders, 52, 59, 87, 92 (creasing along bottom but retains EX corners), 112 (soft corners but card is crease free), 116, 117, 122 Chicago Cubs, 130, 131 Richards (small crease), 135, 156, 167 San Francisco Giants, 207 Dodgers Southpaws (noticeable creasing to upper portion of card but it retains VG/EX corners with nice colors/gloss), 233, 236, 276 (crease across lower left but the corners/overall eye appeal presents as EX/EX+), 353.
As for the rest, the vast majority are an eye appealing VG/EX, EX or EX+ with decent to very nice colors and gloss. Some are better as evidenced by the following (recently) graded cards: #425 Yogi Berra (SGC 6 EX/NM), #577 Hank Aaron AS (SGC 6.5 EX/NM+), #578 Mickey Mantle AS (SGC 7 NM), #579 Willie Mays AS (SGC 7 NM).
To further elaborate on the overall condition, the following key stars and rookie cards are described individually as follows:
#1 Dick Groat (soft corners but card is crease free with a clean image, decent colors/gloss), #2 Roger Maris (the corners are soft but some might still call them VG), #7 Chicago White Sox (top border shows edge wear and border nicks, upper corners are soft, bottom corners are VG/EX), #10 Brooks Robinson (VG/EX), #17 1st Series Checklist (unmarked, EX arguably EX+), #20 Robin Roberts (EX), #30 Nellie Fox (EX), #35 Ron Santo RC (top corners VG/EX bottom corners are EX, clear image with nice colors/gloss), #41 Groat/Mays/Clemente (soft corners, wax stains on front but some original gloss still shines through), #43 Banks/Aaron/Mathews (single spot of surface wear at upper right border but image is clean/clear, EX corners), #44 Mantle/Maris/Lemon/Colavito: When viewed vertically, a small paper wrinkle is visible to the upper right side border. The image is clean/clear with nice colors and gloss. EX-MT corners), #49 Drysdale/Koufax/Jones (VG corners but image is clear with nice colors/gloss), #51 Detroit Tigers (EX), #63 Jim Kaat (one corner touch otherwise EX+), #65 Ted Kluszewski (one corner touch but 3 corners are decent), #80 Harmon Killebrew (a few spots of surface wear on facial area, EX corners), #86 Los Angeles Dodgers (2 corners are EX, 2 corners are EX+), #88 Richie Ashburn (VG/EX), #89 Billy Martin (VG/EX), #98 2nd Series Checklist (unmarked, VG/EX due to edge wear at top right), #109 Johnny Podres (EX), #120 Ed Mathews (EX), #136 Walt Alston (VG/EX), #141 Billy Williams RC (EX+), #150 Willie Mays SGC 4 (VG/EX), #159 Baltimore Orioles (VG/EX), #160 Whitey Ford (several creases but corners are VG/EX and card retains plenty of gloss), #189 3rd Series Checklist (marked, small crease, "52 written in small pencil at upper right, top corners VG/EX, bottom corners EX), #200 Warren Spahn (top corners are soft, surface shows a few pock marks but image is clear with nice colors/gloss, bottom corners are VG/EX), #207 Koufax/Podres (noticeable creasing but corners remain VG/EX), #211 Bob Gibson (EX+ arguably EX-MT), #228 New York Yankees (VG/EX), #249 Cinncinnati Reds (VG/EX), #260 Don Drysdale (wax stains, VG/EX corners), #265 Tony Kubek (EX/EX+), #273 4th Series Checklist (marked, VG/EX corners), #287 Carl Yastrzemski: Print line, small crease at upper right from border into ballcap. The image is clear with nice colors/gloss. Top left corner is EX. The other corners are EX+, #290 Stan Musial (border nick upper right, EX corners), #297 Kansas City Royals (EX-MT), #300 Mickey Mantle SGC 5.5 (EX+), #307 Mickey Mantle WS2: When viewed vertically, a noticeable gauge/indentation is visible from the border into the red band, just above the "60" in 1960. The front shows surface wear, particularly within the text "2 HOMERS" on the right side and along the bottom border. Positively, the image of Mantle remains clear and some original gloss still shines through. One corner rub. The other corners are a nice EX, #327 Matty Alou RC (top corners EX, bottom corners VG/EX), #330 Rocky Colavito (EX+), #347 St. Louis Cardinals (VG/EX), #344 Sandy Koufax: Print line. Rub to top right but the corners are still a very presentable VG/EX. A few spots of surface wear but the image is clear with nice colors and gloss), #350 Ernie Banks (EX+), #360 Frank Robinson (scratch mark, VG/EX), #361 5th Series Checklist (unmarked, wax stains, top corners VG/EX, bottom corners closer to EX), #371 Bill Skowron (EX), #373 Boston Red Sox (EX), #388 Bob Clemente SGC 5 (EX), #400 Vern Law (2 corners VG/EX, 2 corners EX, clear image with nice colors/gloss), #401 Babe Ruth 60th HR (EX), #405 Lou Gehrig Streak (EX+), #406 Mantle Blasts 565 FT. HR SGC 5.5 (EX+) #415 Hank Aaron SCG 4 (VG/EX), #417 Juan Marichal SGC 5 (EX), #425 Yogi Berra SGC 6 (EX-NM), #429 Al Kaline (VG/EX), #430 Bill Mazeroski SP: Scratch marks on front/bit of surface wear but some original gloss still comes through. Light pinch across top right but the corners are still EX arguably EX+, #435 Orlando Cepeda (VG/EX), #437 6th Series Checklist (unmarked, top corners VG/EX, bottom corners EX), #440 Luis Aparicio (VG/EX), #443 Duke Snider (small paper wrinkle, EX corners), #455 Early Wynn (EX), #460 Gil Hodges (EX+ arguably EX-MT), #463 Milwaukee Braves (some surface wear but gloss still comes through, EX/EX+ corners), #467 Cleveland Indians (EX), #475 Mickey Mantle MVP SGC 5 (EX), #478 Roger Maris MVP (miscut top to bottom, small border nick but image is clean/clear with strong colors/gloss, EX-MT corners), #482 Willie Mays MVP (print marks on front, top corners VG/EX, bottom corners are closer to EX), #484 Hank Aaron MVP (EX/EX+ arguably closer to the latter), #485 Ernie Banks MVP (scratch mark at top but image is clear with nice colors and gloss, VG/EX corners), #490 Jim Bunning (EX/EX+ arguably closer to the latter), #491 Philadelphia Phillies (EX), #495 Elston Howard (EX+), #505 Red Schoendienst (3 of the 4 corners are soft but image is clean/clear with good colors and gloss), #516 7th Series Checklist (unmarked, top corners are EX, bottom corners are closer to EX+), #517 Willie McCovey (off center side to side, VG/EX corners), #542 Minnesota Twins: When viewed head on, a "factory crease" is visible from the player at top left to the third player seated in the front row at left. Some surface wear along one border. Main image is clear with original gloss. Top corners are EX. Bottom corners are closer to EX+, #545 Hoyt Wilhelm (strong VG/EX), #554 Pittsburgh Pirates: off center. When viewed head on, a rough cut is visible down the left border. Minor surface wear but the image still presents nicely with good colors/gloss. The corners are very decent (EX-MT), #559 Jim Gentile: Wax stains on back, but all text is still readable. Nick along top border. Bottom right corner ding. The other corners are EX, #563 Bob Cerv: Top left corner rub. The other corners are EX, #572 Brooks Robinson AS: Nick to upper left side. Wax stains. Some original gloss still shines through. A bit of edge wear along the top. Upper corners are VG/EX. Bottom corners are EX, #575 Ernie Banks AS: Wax stains on front. Noticeable print lines. Top right corner ding otherwise VG/EX, #576 Roger Maris AS: Print mark on back. Front shows a print line across bottom but the image is clear with decent colors/gloss. Small crease across bottom right. Other corners are VG/EX, #577 Hank Aaron AS SGC 6.5 (EXNM+), #578 Mickey Mantle AS SGC 7 (NM), #579 Willie Mays AS SGC 7 (NM), #580 Al Kaline AS (bit of surface wear, EX corners), #581 Frank Robinson AS (top left corner rub but the other corners are EX arguably EX+), #586 Whitey Ford AS (EX), #589 Warren Spahn AS: Light, subtle pinch across upper left but the corners overall present as EX. Image is clear with decent colors/gloss.
This set is missing the following cards for completion: # 406, 415, 417, 425. Please note, #426, #587 and #588 were never issued. There are two (2) different versions of card #463 (Braves team and Jack Fisher).
CONSIGNMENTS: ATTENTION CANADIAN COLLECTORS! AA SPORTS CARDS (VAHOOTA on EBAY) IS NOW ACCEPTING eBay CONSIGNMENTS. IF YOU WANT TO CONSIGN YOUR VINTAGE OR HIGH-END MODERN SPORTS CARDS TO US, WE'LL SELL THEM FOR YOU On eBay. WE DO THE WORK, YOU GET THE REWARDS! A 100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK eBay SELLER SINCE 1998.
PAYMENT: Payment due upon conclusion of the auction. All unpaid items are cancelled after 4 days.
SHIPPING INFORMATION: Item will be sent to Canadian addresses via Canada Post, FedEx, or UPS depending on the value of the lot. Item will be sent hassle free to American addresses via USPS First Class or Priority Mail. If you would like combined shipment, please wait for my invoice before paying. Please note that combined shipping is a courtesy that is available by request if auctions end on the same day, or within 1-2 days of each other.
If our shipping costs turn out to be less, we will do our best to provide you with a partial refund.
Item will be sent promptly upon receipt of payment. We do not offer local pickup. Canada and USA shipments only.