Fresh to the hobby we present a unique autographed 1972 Topps #100 card of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, his first Topps basketball card that does not read Lew Alcindor.
Kareem has been a difficult signer at times over the years and the typical in-person autograph in the early days, if he signed at all, was as "Kareem" or "Abdul-Jabbar." Here we have a rare example of the legend's signature as just "Abdul" in period black ballpoint, obtained in person in the early 1970's on this special card.
Beckett authentication and encapsulation accompany this colorful Topps gem.
Provenance:
As documented in the story The Great Autograph Hunt from the February 5, 1974 Dayton (Ohio) Journal Herald, Jack Zimmerman and his grade school buddies Tim Gallagher and Vince Martin started collecting autographs of athletes through the mail, at games and at team hotels, primarily in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. The boys were relentless in their pursuit of baseball, basketball and football players, obtaining the stars and "commons" of the day, plus "old timers" and "legends" that were coaches, broadcasters or responsive through the mail. Jack was locked in on collecting from about 1968 through 1975, until pursuit of his own basketball career took priority. Jack became an All-State high school player, then had a Hall of Fame career hooping at the University of Dayton, followed by several seasons as an overseas pro, including suiting up for the prestigious Maccabi Tel Aviv club. Jack's extensive collection was essentially put in a time capsule in 1976 and has literally followed him all over the world. We are proud to present selected treasures from Jack's collection in our Auction, fresh to the hobby and seeing the light of day for the first time in over 45 years!