Critically important 1957-1958 Topps Basketball #77 Bill Russell autographed (R) card graded BGS EX 5 with NM 7 autograph. Unlike more recent "modern" Sharpie signatures, this offered example was signed by Russell circa 1957 in blue ink pen vertically across Russell's waist. Card itself retains its white borders with smooth and sharp edges. The top right corner has a moderate touch while the remaining corners appear sharp. Reverse is clean. According to the Beckett pop report, the highest grade granted for a 1957 Russell signed rookie is EX 5 and this is one of those two. The other is graded EX 5 with MINT 9 autograph. PSA only graded 16 signed Russell rookie examples as EX 5 or higher making this one of the Top 20 Russell autographed rookies in existence.