In November 1999, Mastro sold this PSA 8-graded 1954 Topps Ted Williams card for $5,914, stating it wouldn’t look out of place in a 9 holder. Well, PSA did bump it up to an 8.5 at some point.
This was Mastro’s complete description:
Graded by PSA Near Mint to Mint 8. Only two examples have ever graded higher. After a two year absence from any major card sets, Ted is back in 1954 to occupy the pole position as the #1 card in the set for his first appearance in a Topps issue. The offered card has near perfect centering, just a touch to the right. The vivid orange background is impeccable and offsets the bold image of Williams nicely. The borders are clean and white showing just a whisper of age. The corners are as strong as you could possibly hope for in an 8. No wear is visible on any of the corners. Only under magnification will you see that the upper left and lower right corners have the tiniest touches. The reverse on this card is equally as strong and clean as the front. While we do hesitate to grade this card as Mint, due to its immense stature, it doesn’t look like it would be out of place in a 9 holder. Strong Near Mint to Mint condition.
Here’s the PSA Cert Verification page for 06133999; unfortunately, I haven’t been able to track down a scan of the re-slabbed card. Let me know if you’ve seen it.
There are just seven 8.5s in the Pop Report, with just six 9s graded higher. As for the 8 to 8.5 bump, it added approximately $20k to the card’s market value.
Happy collecting!
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