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 #343, Johnny Pesky, graded NM-MT+ 8.5. John Michael Paveskovich was a Red Sox legend who led the league in hits in each of his first three seasons as a Major Leaguer, despite missing 3 full seasons in the middle of that stretch due to his military service. The short right field foul pole at Fenway Park bears his name, despite the fact that he only hit 6 home runs in 539 career games at Fenway. 1963 was his first year as manager with the club, as depicted here.

Centering is fantastic on this example. The edges are mostly nice, and while the top two corners are great, the bottom two suffer from the slight color loss that is so common with the green bottom borders of this set. A slight registration issue with that green border and some overall surface coloration explain the card's technical grade, which is still wonderfully high.

Only 5 examples graded by PSA have ever received a higher grade than the NM-MT+ 8.5 offered here.