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Vintage American 1973 Topps 'Rookie Third Basemen' Baseball Card #615 (cardboard) — Mike Schmidt Rookie with Ron Cey & John Hilton

By: Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. (Duryea, Pennsylvania)

Style: Vintage American sports trading card (1970s Topps)

Origin: United States

Materials: Wood‑pulp cardboard stock with offset lithographic printing and aqueous coating

Age: circa 1973

Condition: Good–Very Good (rounded corners, edge wear and minor soiling/toning; off-center; appears raw/not officially graded)

Value: $100–$250 (auction, raw/ungraded, Good–Very Good condition). Professionally graded examples vary widely: PSA/SGC 6 ~$400–700; PSA/SGC 8 ~$1,800–3,000+; higher grades significantly more.

Maker's Marks / Writing: Front printed with ‘1973 ROOKIE THIRD BASEMEN’ and player names; typical back (not shown) would read ‘Topps’ with statistics and card No. 615.

Date: 2025-11-01 00:01:45.000095

Description:

Original 1973 Topps three-player rookie baseball card featuring third basemen, card #615. Standard 2.5 x 3.5 in. Top border headline in blue, three portrait/action photos in black-bordered panels, white border. Widely collected as the key rookie card of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt; also pictures Ron Cey and John Hilton.

Curator Questions

Curated by Jade

Assessment:

This appears to be an authentic 1973 Topps #615 ‘Rookie Third Basemen’—the key rookie card for Mike Schmidt—showing honest wear (rounded corners, edge chipping, a bit of soiling and toning). Centering looks a bit off; surface shows typical 1970s dot screen. If authenticated and graded, value is highly condition-sensitive. A word about fakes.. the Schmidt rookie is heavily reprinted; beware modern glossy reprints, ultra-white backs, digitally smooth text, or “Topps Archives/Commemorative” markings. Original 1973 stock is slightly rough with off‑white borders; the back (not shown) should be dull, with period fonts and green/black ink on tan stock. For certainty, compare halftone dots under magnification and consider PSA/SGC/BGS grading.

Individual Images:

• none

Provenance:

Not provided (no slab or paperwork shown)

Condition:

Good–Very Good (rounded corners, edge wear and minor soiling/toning; off-center; appears raw/not officially graded)

Identification Score: 98%

Card design, fonts, layout, and headline exactly match 1973 Topps #615 Rookie Third Basemen; the three-player format and color treatment are distinctive.

Authenticity Score: 70%

Front-only image shows period-appropriate wear and printing; nothing obviously inconsistent with 1973 Topps. However, without back photo, measurements, and in-hand inspection, reprint risk remains; recommend third-party grading.

Image Memory Note

None     None

Keywords

1973 Topps, Rookie Third Basemen, #615, Mike Schmidt rookie, Ron Cey, John Hilton, vintage baseball card, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Topps, United States

Report ID:  : zfy47c

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