1956 Topps SGC 5 Cards of Clemente, Koufax & Mays All Perform Well At Auction
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When it comes to graded sports cards, there’s no doubt that collectors are always striving for that Gem Mint 10 or the ever-elusive BGS “Black Label” Pristine 10, however that sentiment generally changes when we’re discussing vintage baseball cards because higher graded specimens are extremely rare to come by.
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However, mid-range grades on vintage cards, especially those from the mid-to-late 1950’s, offer collectors the opportunity to own the cards of many of the game’s greatest players without breaking the bank and here are three recent auction sales that validate that theory.
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1956 Topps Roberto Clemente (Gray Back) – Graded: SGC 5 (Excellent): A career .317 hitter, Clemente amassed exactly 3,000 hits, earned 12 Gold Gloves, won 4 Batting Titles, and led the Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series wins in both 1960 and 1971. This card was recently sold for $674.76 on August 3 via Heritage Auctions.
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1956 Topps Hank Aaron (Gray Back) – Graded: SGC 5 (Excellent): A career .305 hitter, Aaron amassed 755 Home Runs, earned 3 Gold Gloves, won 2 Batting Titles, and led the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series win in 1957. This card was recently sold for $475.80 on August 3 via Heritage Auctions.
1956 Topps Sandy Koufax (Gray Back) – Graded: SGC 5 (Excellent): With a career 2.76 ERA, Koufax amassed 2,396 strikeouts, earned 3 Cy Young Awards, won 5 ERA Titles, and led the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers to four World Series Championships (1955,1959,1963, and 1965). This card was recently sold for $378.20 on August 3 via Heritage Auctions.
There’s no doubt that these three mid-grade sales of the 1956 Topps cards of Clemente, Aaron, and Koufax offer collectors a great point of entry, not just because they’re able to blend nostalgia with affordability, but also because they’re able to further reinforce the lasting importance that vintage cards continue to play throughout the hobby.
Passionate sports card collector and writer based in Queens, NY. Lifelong fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. Covering sports cards and collectibles with deep industry knowledge and enthusiasm, while bringing a fresh perspective to the ever-evolving hobby world on http://SI.com/collectibles.
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