Offered this week is a 1951 Bowman Willie Mays rookie card conservatively graded PSA 7 Near Mint. Featured on a horizontal format, a youthful "Say Hey Kid" stares intently, bat at the ready.
Featuring many NM/MT and MINT qualities, this stunning example has strong corners, excellent clarity and registration and one of the sharper and more focused images we’ve seen on this card in quite some time. The boldness of the colors is astounding from the vivid green of the outbuilding to the brown of the batting canvas to the snow white of the New York Giants home jersey, this example is marvelous.
The reverse is equally spectacular if not better than the obverse. Clean and stain-free, the inking of the text is bold and crisp. Finding a better example, even in a higher grade would certain prove a challenge. Willie finished his career amassing an astounding 3,283 hits, 2,062 runs scored, 1,903 RBI, 338 stolen bases, 660 home runs and a .302 lifetime batting average. These career numbers rewarded him with first ballot inductions into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.