We have made the decision to break up an EXTRAORDINARY 1963 Topps set - the #4 Master Set on the PSA Set Registry. The 1963 set is a particularly difficult set to complete in high grade due to Topps' poor quality control in the era which resulted in considerable print defects. The large and colorful border at the bottom simultaneously lends a distinctive design element and a condition challenge, as they are extremely susceptible to chipping and wear. 

The example offered here is card #490, Willie McCovey, graded NM-MT 8. McCovey said the ball he hit in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series was the hardest ball he'd ever hit in his life. But it was hit right at Bobby Richardson, who caught it, winning the Series for the Yankees. McCovey was devastated, and came back with a vengeance in 1963, more than doubling his previous career high with 44 home runs. He was named an All Star for the first time, and finished 17th in MVP voting after scoring 103 runs and driving in another 102.

His 1963 Topps card shows Stretch kneeling on the ground, resting his left elbow on a bat as he looks off into the distance. Sharp corners and edges with nice centering. A slight registration issue with the blue bottom border and red circle inset along with a couple fisheyes and some color loss in the bottom right corner, common with this set, keep this card from grading even higher than it already has.

Only 25 out of the nearly 1,500 examples graded by PSA have ever received a higher grade than the NM-MT 8 offered here.