This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2017
The current high bid for the complete set, $39,139.00, is greater than the aggregate total of the bids on the single cards that comprise this set, $32,523.00 (this lot is currently winning)
Just as they had done in the baseball card market during the 1950s, the Topps Company successfully held off challenges from Bowman and Fleer to reign as the lone producer of sports cards devoted to the gridiron. But then came a new challenger that completely blindsided "the king" when the Philadelphia Gum Company entered the fray with a very powerful weapon, a contract with the NFL. There would be no more Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown or Bart Starr cards coming out of the Topps factory, at least not while Philly Gum was holding their exclusive rights. Topps was now relegated to promoting Jack Kemp and George Blanda from the American Football League in 1964 while Philly Gum was rolling out their inaugural issue with a parade of future NFL legends as well as rookie cards of John Mackey, Herb Adderley, Willie Davis and Merlin Olsen. The featured 1964 Philadelphia Gum collection is one of the most impressive assemblages that Mile High Card Company has ever had the privilege of offering, rated #1 on the PSA Set Registry with an astonishing GPA of 9.56 and an overall set rating of 10.595. Of the 198 cards in the set, 117 (about 60%) are graded GEM MINT PSA 10, including #1 Berry, 17 Ditka, 71 Adderley, 74 Hornung, 91 Olsen, 117 Gifford, 186 Jurgensen, and 198 Checklist. The other 81 cards in the set are graded PSA 9, and either one or two PSA 10s exist for only 19 of those, making this a set with very little room for improvement but a great challenge for the advanced collector trying to take it even further. In addition, 43 of the PSA 10s listed are the only example on record with a GEM MINT evaluation. For a complete breakdown of cards and grades with population for each, please visit our website for a link to the PSA Set Registry. This collection is being offered in its entirety as well as each card offered individually, with the method of sale determined whichever is higher; the price of the complete set versus the sum of the individual cards.