This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/12/2024
Not since the 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain rookie card had there been a basketball card whose release was so anticipated within the hobby as the 1969 Topps debut pasteboard of Lew Alcindor. Widely celebrated as the next great superstar to guide the NBA into a new generation (spoiler alert - he did), Alcindor used his 7' 2" frame, innovative "Sky Hook" and an eventual name change to become the league's all-time scorer for over 40 years. It seemed appropriate for Topps to introduce the former UCLA great with a card as grandiose as the player, and resurrected the "tall-boy" format used in the 1964 hockey and 1965 football sets. Graded NM/MT 8 by PSA, the offered example shows expert centering with bold, bright colors and an extremely detailed image of the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With true NM/MT to MINT features and tremendous visual appeal, it's a significant, perhaps undergraded piece, that can pace an advanced basketball card collection.