Holiday Auction 2021 Dec 20-Jan 8/9
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/9/2022
Graded EX 5 by PSA. Hall of Famer, in an excruciatingly scarce Rookie Card appearance. Printed by Topps but distributed only in the South American nation of Venezuela – where Major League Baseball has long enjoyed wide popularity – very few of these cherished examples have managed to find their way into modern collections. Factors that have conspired against the Venezuelan cards' long-term survival include the region's pervasive humidity, as well as a local collecting tradition of gluing trading cards into albums for storage. Virtually identical in design to a "standard" '68 Topps "Reds Rookies" gum card, the visibly coarse cardstock and subtle variations in color define this exceptional relic's true origin. Unobtrusive traces of natural wear at the corners – along with an image of Bench that’s quite bright for the issue – yield a thoroughly satisfactory specimen of this hyper-elusive collectible. An impossibly challenging debut card of one of the greatest catchers in professional baseball's history, in Excellent condition.