This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/19/2012
It has been often said that the early 1970s were a rudderless time for the New York Yankees. Mickey Mantle, the last of the team's legendary "icons" had long since retired and, for the first time, the team was absent a dominating player. New Yorkers didn't recognize such a team. They were used to an unbroken chain of larger-than-life figures such as The Babe, who handed off the torch to Gehrig, and Gehrig thus to Joe DiMaggio, who passed it on to Mantle. The absence of that team-defining player ended in 1969 when a scruffy, slightly overweight catcher from Canton, Oh., lumbered into the Bronx as the new heir to the throne. After a brief, but impressive 26-game showing toward the end of the 1969 season, Thurman Munson commanded the position of Yankees starting catcher and clubhouse leader for the next 10 seasons. Munson's first full American League campaign in 1970 cemented his status. Playing in 132 games, Munson posted a .302 batting average with 26 doubles, 137 hits, and 53 RBI's. Thurman's defensive skills were equally, if not more impressive than his prowess at the plate. In a rare, nearly unanimous vote, Munson was bestowed with the AL Rookie of the Year award. Topps marked Munson’s entrance into the big leagues with his appearance on card #189 in their 1970 issue. The card, a split window offering on which Thurman shares the front with Yankee first baseman Dave McDonald, is fairly easy to find in mid-grades. Higher grades, however, are extremely difficult to come by due to the card's gray borders being prone to chipping and edge wear. Validation of this fact comes from PSA population report showing that the offered card is one of only two examples graded GEM MINT 10 out of more than 2,191 submissions to PSA.