This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/27/2012
Graded NM/MT 88(8) by SGC. "I can't believe that Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays. Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf. He got the game moving. But I can't believe he could run as well as Mays, and I can't believe he was any better an outfielder." - Sandy Koufax- When someone like Sandy Koufax says those types of things about you as a player, that commands some kind of attention, doesn't it? Presented is one of the finest copies of Willie Mays' 1951 Bowman rookie card that MHCC has ever offered. Four utterly precise NM/MT or better corners stand at attention as if guarding a national monument. The surface offers a sublime, regally smooth palate, housing a distinctive layering of fine gloss that moves this card to another echelon. The colors are well-defined with a focused symmetry not usually associated with our chosen hobby. Deep, well-imaged hues of browns and greens act as a perfect backdrop to the lithe image of the young phenom at the onset of his marvelous career. Willie, presented in a home white uniform and displayed in a horizontal batting stance, is so well-displayed that the lines in his determined face are readily apparent to the enthusiast. The centering, although ever so slightly shifted to the left, acts as a perfect frame for this miniature work of art. The reverse offers a splendid palate of stone gray with a deeply blue and red inked bio seemingly jumping from its place. A card that comes with my strongest recommendation, offered in splendid strong NM/MT condition.