This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/15/2017
Fresh from "Beer Box Find II" comes this 1971 Topps nearly full (23/24) first series wax box. After three consecutive collections that many hobbyists panned as "dull" and "easy," Topps issued their greatest challenge to collectors since the wood-grained 1962 set, expanding their product to 752 cards and adding a jet black border that exposes every flaw. Factoring in the centering issues with all of the other pitfalls, it's not surprising that only 188 cards out of over 268,000 PSA submissions have been graded PSA 10 and less than 3% have reached the MINT level. With barely more than a simple pack or two offered for sale at any given time and a near complete 1971 Topps box like the one offered here virtually unheard of, what makes this all the more special is that it comes from the first series, highly prized for its assortment of extremely rare cards in top-grade: #4 Munson, 14 Concepcion RC, 20 R. Jackson, 26 Blyleven RC and 100 Rose, will all but the Blyleven and Rose having yet to produce a GEM MINT example (there's one each of Blyleven and Rose). As for the Munson card, it's one of the few instances since the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle that a second-year issue dominates over the previous year's rookie card, reaching over $30,000 in MINT condition just a year ago and leading collectors to believe that a PSA 10 could break the six digit barrier. Steve Hart (Baseball Card Exchange) has examined the packs and given the box the BBCE authentication, verifying the contents as original and unopened while wrapping the box of NM to NM/MT packs. A notation on the bottom of the box indicates that it was purchased in March of 1971. This is a unique opportunity to add a major piece of unopened material to any world-class collection.