For someone compiling an autographed 1971 Topps set, here is special collection of sharply signed legends from this colorful issue. All six of the players have passed away, making some of their autographs quite scarce and desirable.
Five are Hall of Famers and the other, Happy Hairston, was a starter on the iconic Lakers 1972 NBA title team.
Brief capsules of each player:
Bellamy-"Bells" was part of the special 1960 USA Olympic team and one of only (3) players in NBA history to average over 30 points per game in his rookie season.
Beaty-Starred for the NBA St. Louis Hawks before jumping to the ABA and leading the Utah Stars to the 1971 ABA title, where he was named Finals MVP.
Hairston-A key part of the legendary Lakers 1972 ("33 straight wins") NBA title team, Hairston passed away at the age of 58.
Johnson-"Honeycomb" was one of the strongest and most athletic forwards in the league during his prime, sadly Gus passed away at the young age of 48. A frequent NBA All-Star with the Baltimore Bullets, Gus capped off his pro career as a champion with the 1973 ABA Indiana Pacers.
Sloan-In the Hall of Fame as a coach, as a player Jerry was one of the toughest and best NBA guards of his era.
Thurmond-Like Gus Johnson, a native of Akron, Ohio. "Nate the Great" played at Bowling Green, then was a force in the middle for the Warriors, Bulls & Cavs.
These signatures were all obtained at the time in vintage ballpoint and have been authenticated and encapsulated by PSA/DNA. PSA/DNA has deemed Sloan's penmanship a MINT 9 and the others a strong NM-MT 8.
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!