The personality, enthusiasm, and legacy of Ernie Banks continues to epitomize Chicago Cubs baseball and his vintage cards appeal to fans of all ages, well beyond the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field. His charm is already evident on this dual-photo layout and many consider it a top design from the 1954 Topps set, as its light background complements his smiling portrait perfectly. Knowing that you also get a Hall of Fame rookie card is icing on a delicious cake.

This impressive PSA NM-MT 8 shows off just you want in a top-notch card, from bright surfaces and borders to square, barely touched corners. Front centering for many 1954 Topps cards proves enigmatic because they feature dark color blocks along the top edge. In this case, the paler background shows it's centered a bit northward, which could explain that technical grade. The card reverse echoes this clean, well-printed look, with the slightest of print tilts. A satisfying all-around rookie card for a legend of the diamond. (Note: PSA's holder shows a light front abrasion that's not part of the card.)

Ernie's youthful charm on the front is matched by some intrigue on its back, where Topps makes a rare reference to the Negro Leagues and Kansas City Monarchs as his original team, even if it omits Cool Papa Bell as the man who found him for KC. Modern readers might cough at calling 1953 his "1st year in Organized Baseball" after describing multiple years of NGL and military play right above those stats! Recent research into original Topps art shows they repurposed 1950s cartoons across multiple years, so these ambiguous lockerroom and infield scenes reappear on future cards of other players.

Size: large
Condition: yes