This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/22/2019
In any discussion about the most iconic football card ever produced, the 1958 Topps rookie card of Hall of Famer Jim Brown has to be near or at the top of the list. First off, the Cleveland running back is considered by many to be the best in NFL history. At 6'2" and 232 lbs., he would be a large running back by today's standards but was downright massive for his day. His combination of power and speed was unmatched, leading the NFL in rushing yards in eight of his nine NFL seasons and topping the league in rushing touchdowns five times, all while holding the all-time NFL record with 104.3 rushing yards per game. Also consider the card itself, a very difficult specimen to find in high-grade. If you manage to find an example with strong enough edges and endpoints that also sidesteps the all too common centering woes, you still have to contend with an unsightly layer of stray print that invades the black background of most examples. The offered card manages to escape the grip of both liabilities, delivering a central image that is just a hair to the left of center but well within the standards for the grade. The light dusting of white that inevitably ends up on the jet black frame is held to a minimum, far superior in eye-appeal to the vast majority of specimens. The boldness of the central image, as well as the brightness of the white borders, are also hallmarks of an elite level card, with a light rough cut along the vertical edges adding extra evidence as to the pack-fresh characteristics this card possesses. Overall, this is a truly phenomenal offering of a very difficult and highly coveted gridiron classic in exclusive and well-deserved NM/MT+ condition as determined by the discerning critics at SGC.