Roberto Clemente remains a legend some 50 years after his tragic death. Vintage baseball card collectors cannot seem to get enough Clemente cards either. At least that’s what having a $1 million sale might indicate! This month’s media from PWCCC Marketplace showed several impressive sales in the September Premier Auction’s 436 assets from sports and nonsports. While the total auction sales figure was $15,950,400 and included multiple records, check this number out…
A PSA 9 graded 1955 Topps rookie card of Roberto Clemente just fetched $1,050,000 in auction!
On top of being deemed a nearly perfect card for the grade, the Mike Baker Authentication for eye appeal listed the card in the top 30% with its MBA gold designation.
According to PWCC, this was the second place all-time for a Clemente card sale. It also more than doubled the third highest price of $478,000. Another interesting feat here is that only 2 examples of this PSA 9 graded have been recorded in public sales since 2020 and they both went for just over $1 million.
A PSA graded Clemente rookie is actually not scarce in the total population reports. The centering issues are rampant in this card and this will pove that. Of the 4,735 examples of Clemente’s rookie card graded by PSA, there are only 11 examples which have been given a PSA 9 grade. Only 1 example has scored the perfect PSA 10 Gem Mint grade. Image below provided by PWCC.
According to PWCC’s asset description:
Clemente’s rookie card is an iconic national treasure in any condition given his remarkable career as a fielder and hitter, philanthropy that inspired millions, and status as the game’s first Latin American star. Add the fact that he died in a plane crash delivering food and medical supplies to people suffering from an earthquake’s aftereffects, and it makes for a story that will forever maintain the highest level of interest in his cards. He only has one rookie card. This is it. And this is it in head-turning condition. We expect the interest in this crown jewel to span the far reaches of the globe. Whatever the final price, this card is priceless.
