My Most Prized Milt Schmidt

A while back I posted one of the highlights of my Milt Schmidt collection, a recently acquired 1952-53 Parkhurst.  At the end of that post I hinted that I'd picked up an even greater Schmidt card, and today I've finally gotten around to scanning and posting it.  Check it out:

This beauty is from the 1954-55 Topps hockey set, the very first hockey set ever produced by the Topps company.  I really love this set for that reason, and it doesn't hurt that the design is fantastic as well.  This is the third card I've been able to grab from the very small checklist, and it's far and away my favorite of the three.

Aside from featuring a Hall-of-Famer and one of my favorite hockey personalities of all-time, this card demands a premium whenever you can find one due to the fact that it's the last card on the checklist.  Those who collect vintage sets know how much rarer it is to find the first and last cards from any set in really good shape.  To give you an idea, Milt's "bookend counterpart" in this set, card #1, is Dick Gamble of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Never heard of him?  You're not alone, he's not a household name, a Hall-of-Famer, or even a star really.  Despite all that, I've never seen a Dick Gamble in the same grade as Milt here sell for less than $120, and I've seen them go north of $300 more than once!

Here's a better look at my copy.  I'm really happy with this one, it's the exact grade I was looking for, as my other two '54-55 Topps are PSA 6 as well.  I've desired this card for years, and have watched three of them sell before this one, each in the $300 to $340 range.  When I had the chance to take advantage of a poorly researched Buy-it-Now auction I jumped, and took this copy home for less than $200.  Sure, it was still one of the most expensive single hockey cards I've ever purchased in my life, but to me it was worth it.  I could easily flip this card for $100 to $150 profit, but I would never consider parting with this new cornerstone of my Milt Schmidt collection...

Here's a look at the back, the design here is maybe better than the front even as far as I'm concerned.  Just a great vintage hockey card, and a nice first effort from Topps.

So there you have it, my most prized Milt Schmidt card.  Have you ever had a case like this one during your time as a collector where you saw a card so discounted you just had to go for it?