This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2019
Now one of the key cards to the 1957 Topps football set, it's understandable that the Johnny Unitas rookie card was once considered an insignificant common. Though one of the greatest signal-callers in the game's history, "Johnny U" didn't arrive with the fanfare of a Peyton Manning or John Elway but was unceremoniously drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the 9th round of the 1955 draft, then released during the preseason without ever taking a snap. The story was that Steelers' head coach Walt Kiesling had made up his mind almost immediately upon meeting Unitas that he was not smart enough to quarterback an NFL team. But when his career concluded in 1973, he was the all-time leading passer with 40,239 yards and 290 TDs while earning three MVP awards. The featured card perfectly fits the often overused description of "pack-fresh" with a pairing of orange and green background colors that have not faded one bit over the 60+ years. A light rough cut lines the perimeter, and while the corners are certainly up to the task of the MINT assessment, you can easily claim that the two left horizontal endpoints are GEM MINT. If the centering had been a millimeter closer to the bottom edge, it wouldn't be a stretch to think this card had a very good chance of achieving the top grade allowable, something that has never happened at either PSA or SGC. The reverse is equally as impressive, virtually spotless with a slate gray canvas that houses perfectly bold and sharply focused red and black print. Only 2 other examples have reached the MINT level at SGC, and they would have a hard time keeping up with the absolute pristine appearance offered here. A truly spectacular card of one of the most important gridiron issues in Topps history.