Behind the Crop: Don Demeter’s 1959 Topps Artwork and a Curious PSA 10

The original 4” x 6” artwork used for Don Demeter’s 1959 Topps card (#324) is a vivid reminder of how much visual detail Topps routinely cropped away in that era.

His card, like many from the late ’50s, only uses a tight portion of the painted portrait, losing the rich, full context of the original art.

A related wrinkle: there’s just one PSA 10 example of Demeter’s 1959 card in PSA’s Population Report. The only traceable sale of that exact serial number dates back to May 2008, when it was graded PSA 9 and sold by Memory Lane Inc. for $297.28.

But today, PSA’s Cert Verification page shows that same card has a Hologram label—and a GEM MT 10 grade. PSA even features the 10 on its site, and it’s listed as part of the Hacnac’s #1 Rated 1959 Topps Set Registry.