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 #228, 1963 Rookie Stars, graded NM-MT 8. The four players featured are Minnesota's Tony Oliva (who goes by his middle name Pedro on this card), the Mets' Ed Kranepool, Cleveland's Max Alvis, and Pittsburgh's Bob Bailey. Though Oliva is featured on this 1963 card, his true rookie season was 1964, and he was sensational right from the very start. He led the leauge in Hits (217), Batting Average (.323), Runs (109), Doubles (43), and Total Bases (374), earning an All Star selection and finishing 4th in MVP voting while easily winning the Rookie of the Year Award. Oliva led the league in hits 5 times and batting average 3 times in his Hall of Fame career, finishing top-10 in MVP voting 5 times.

Ed Kranepool played 18 seasons in the Major Leagues, all of them with the New York Mets. When he retired in 1978, he was the all-time Mets leader in eight offensive categories, and is still the leader in games played. He was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets team to win the World Series, and of the 1973 team to win the National League pennant. Bob Bailey won the 1976 World Series during his 17-year career, and Max Alvis was a 2-time All Star, as well. A pretty loaded rookie card.

The edges are nice and the colors have remained bold and vibrant, more than 60 years after printing. The blue top border and the red circle backgrounds behind the players' head shots each have some snow and fisheyes, keeping this card from grading even higher than it already has.

Only 6 examples graded by PSA have ever received a higher grade than the NM-MT 8 offered here.