Steve Carlton Baseball Card 1983 Topps No. 70 - Axiom Grade Near Mint 7 Condition See Photos ... Includes FREE SHIPPING. Note sports memorabilia market hit $16 billion in 2023. Projections indicate it will reach $52 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 14% during the forecast period (2024-2032).
We examined the four key grading categories: corners, edges, centering, and surface, here is a breakdown of this card's condition:
- Centering: The front of the card exhibits noticeable off-centering. The left border is significantly thinner than the right border. The top border also appears slightly thinner than the bottom. This type of centering is common for this era but will prevent the card from achieving the highest grades.
- Corners: The corners show signs of wear. Specifically, the top left and bottom right corners appear slightly soft or "fuzzy" upon close inspection. The other two corners also show minor imperfections, disqualifying it from a Mint or Gem Mint rating.
- Edges: The edges of the card appear relatively clean for a card from this period, though there may be minor "chipping" or fraying, which is difficult to conclusively determine from a photo alone. Overall, the edges seem to be a point of strength for the card.
- Surface: The surface of the card, both front and back, appears clean with good gloss and no obvious print defects, stains, or scuff marks. The colors are vibrant, and the focus of the images is sharp. The back is clean and legible.
Steve Carlton, known by his nickname "Lefty," was one of the most dominant and intimidating pitchers in Major League Baseball history. His illustrious career, spanning from 1965 to 1988, was primarily defined by his transformative tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies, following a successful start with the St. Louis Cardinals where he won his first World Series. Renowned for his hard, biting slider and incredible durability, Carlton's pinnacle season came in 1972 when he achieved the rare pitching Triple Crown, winning 27 games for a last-place Phillies team, accounting for an astonishing 46% of his team's victories. A member of the exclusive 300-win club and the first pitcher to surpass 4,000 career strikeouts, Carlton was a ten-time All-Star and the first pitcher to ever win four Cy Young Awards. His relentless work ethic and intense focus on the mound culminated in a second World Series championship with the Phillies in 1980 and his first-ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers the game has ever seen.
