1952 Topps Baseball #261 Willie Mays card. Graded NM 7 by PSA. This card originates from a new find of 1952 Topps baseball cards that recently surfaced in the Midwest. Our consignor's husband collected the cards as a child and, miraculously, nearly all avoided the common fate of being repeatedly flipped or placed in bike spokes. Instead, he carefully stored them in a shoe box, where they remained, untouched, for the past seventy years. The majority of the cards are in high grade, with the only issue of note for most being centering. We have selected three of the cards - Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Jackie Robinson - for inclusion in this auction. (All have been submitted for grading by Lelands.) The remainder, including nearly all the high numbers, will appear together in one of our upcoming sales this year.

It should be noted that of the 2,556 examples of this card listed in the PSA Population Report, only 72 have received a higher grade. A total of 101 have been graded at this level, meaning that this card ranks in the top 6% of all PSA-graded 1952 Topps Willie Mays cards. In technical terms, the card retains its original gloss and the borders remain white. All four corners remain sharp and the edges are very smooth. Centering is slightly off top to bottom as well as left to right. The reverse is off center but is otherwise clean and bright. This is an exceptional high-grade example of one of Mays' most popular cards, and one that would be an upgrade for nearly any advanced 1952 Topps collection.