This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/10/2010
If winning championships determine a players legacy, you could then argue that Bill Russell is the best basketball player ever. A five-time MVP and 12 time All-Star, Russell won an unprecedented 11 NBA championships during his 13 years in the NBA. There is not an NBA player who has achieved more in a career that Russell; not Michael Jordan, not Wilt Chamberlain, not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Not only was Russell the premier winner in the NBA, he also led his college team, The University of San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA championships. The 1957 Fleer Bill Russell rookie card is the cornerstone of the 1957 set as well as one of the most important basketball cards ever produced. The scarce short print combined with rookie status of a legendary Hall of Famer creates the perfect confluence of value and desirability. This card exhibits one of the typical faults associated with the 1957 Topps basketball cards, as the centering is less than warranted, giving us the PSA O/C status. The centering is off only to the eastern border, and not towards a corner like most other examples. The other major fault is usually a blizzard like stream of print "snow" over the entire photo, but this example is not like that. It has only a few light dots near the obviously tentative Rochester Royals player with the ball and a few near the upper right corner. These prints dots are mentioned for the sake of accuracy and in no way detracts from the overall beauty of this example. This copy exceeds almost all other specimens in regards to print issues. Its bold color and glossy surface are valuable assets while all corners appear to at least meet or surpass the given grade. The reverse is centered slightly better and very clean with a bold print strike. This is an tremendously solid NM/MT specimen and would be a worthy addition to your collection.