Lot # 1567: 1968 Topps 3-D Roberto Clemente SGC GOOD+ 35

Graded GOOD+ 35 by SGC. Offered is an incredibly appealing example of one of Roberto Clemente's most sought-after cards, the key to the 1968 Topps 3-D set, as well as one of the single most valuable cards from the entire 1960s decade. In the world of baseball-card collecting, many serious collectors revere the 1968 Topps 3-D set more than any other set of its era. Whether these cards were issued in stores remains a mystery but legend has always had it that, as a test, a few boxes appeared in selected stores in the Brooklyn, New York area. To the best of our knowledge, however, most 1968 Topps 3-D cards can ultimately be traced back to someone who worked at Topps or Visual Panographics (the Texas-based company that produced these cards for Topps). Advanced collectors have always held 1968 Topps 3-D cards in the highest esteem, both for their extreme rarity as well as for their very striking and unique design. The offered card has been downgraded due to a single crack on the front, a flaw common to cards from this issue. The front of the card displays well, despite the surface crack (which, depending on the angle viewed, ranges from barely noticeable to appearing as a single vertical streak), with bold colors and strong centering (slightly to the bottom). One of the few cards deserving to be classified as a modern classic, the 1968 Topps 3-D Roberto Clemente stands on its own very comfortably with the most significant and noteworthy cards from all eras. This is a beautiful mid-grade example of one of postwar-card collecting's most noteworthy and high-profile cards.