Lot # 1093: Exceedingly Rare 1951 Topps Major League All-Stars Jim Konstanty PSA Authentic

Presented is one of postwar card collecting's most astounding rarities: a virtually impossible to find, never-issued card of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jim Konstanty from the 1951 Topps Major League All-Stars series. Topps hit the ground running in 1951 with several sets featuring the game's current players as well as several all-time greats. The Major League All-Stars series is widely considered to be one of the scarcest and most significant Topps baseball-card issues ever created. At 11 cards, the set is not large in number but it is substantial. It also features Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Larry Doby, George Kell, Bob Lemon, Ralph Kiner, and Phil Rizzuto, along with star players Walt Dropo and Hoot Evers. The rarity of this card cannot be overstated! To the best of our knowledge, there are fewer than five examples known to exist. This is only the second example we have offered in the past 22 years. (The first example we offered, which was Lot 11 in REA's Spring 2018 auction, realized $45,000.) Due to their extreme rarity, most advanced collectors are familiar with this card only from seeing a few catalog or scholarly references, if at all. Miraculously, the offered example of Konstanty is one of two rarities from this set we have the privilege of offering in this auction (the other, Robin Roberts, is presented separately). This card is encapsulated as "Authentic" by PSA. It appears that, long ago, the punch-out portion of the card was held in place with tape on the reverse (tape removed but heavy residue remains). In Poor condition overall. This is an extremely famous and very notable Topps rarity that would be a significant addition to even the most advanced Topps or important rarities collection.