Pop 1 Gold PSA 10 2004 Yadier Molina Albert Pujols Topps 1/1 RARE UNALTERED PIC

Description: 3 PSA 10 Gems, including: ***The ONLY Gold PSA 10 of the ONLY card to show the original UNALTERED #74 Jersey worn by Molina batting that was ALTERED by Topps into the #24 jersey seen in his 2004 Topps Rookie Card. (Molina NEVER wore an MLB #24 jersey- see PROOF)*** A one of a kind grouping, with one card explaining the existence of another, offered are two GEM MINT Yadier Molina and one GEM MINT Albert Pujols PSA 10s. The two from 2004 Topps are easily enough explained: - Yadier Molina 2004 Topps Rookie RC PSA 10 - Albert Pujols 2004 Topps PSA 10 The third card requires some explanation: The image used on all 2004 topps/chrome Yadier Molina rookie cards was altered to change the jersey number. The #74 jersey worn in the Molina 2007 Fleer card is the actual jersey worn in the Molina 2004 Topps cards. (The original Getty image used by 2004 Topps, displayed in pic 3 proves this definitively) This is why they altered the images: - The 2004 Topps, Topps Chrome and related lines & parallels of Molina’s rookie cards were produced in late 2003, thus the © 2003 copyright appears on all of them and they show his most recent stats as his complete season numbers for the AA Tennessee Smokies, where he played exclusively all of 2003. - Molina was widely anticipated to be called up for his debut in 2004, so Topps included him in their 2004 Topps set that was (for the last time) printed late in the year before and copyrighted 2003. Many understandably but incorrectly thus refer to his 2004 Topps cards as a 2003 Topps variety. - Perhaps still smarting from their epic screwup of the Pujols 2002 Topps card (also copyright dated the year before, in which it was printed: 2001), when they threw on the back someone (in the exceptional Placido Polanco) who, other than Latino heritage, shared no resemblance with this upstart ROY Pujols guy who graced the front, Topps tried and mostly succeeded in not appearing to disregard the details of another future Hall of Famer’s rookie card in producing Molina’s 2004 Topps cards. … Their dilemma was depicting Molina in a Cardinals MLB uniform in time for production in late 2003, when he hadn’t yet debuted and wouldn’t until the following June in 2004. … Their further dilemma: that left them with only the pictures from late in Spring Training of 2003, when the Cardinals traditionally play one or more games wearing their regular season style home whites instead of the red spring training jerseys exclusively worn in March in Florida. … However, they also wanted to avoid another circumstance like had also occurred with the Pujols 2001 Bowman Chrome, Topps Reserve and other rookie cards: showing the player in a (usually much higher) different jersey number than what the player ever wore for MLB play. For Pujols it was #36 and #68, despite only wearing #5 since his Opening Day debut in 2001. … For Molina, it was first #74. This was the number he wore for Spring Training 2003, when he was not anticipated to make the team (these players generally get assigned higher numbers), but rather proceed to the AA Tennessee Smokies after playing for the A level Peoria Chiefs in 2002 and Johnson City Cardinals in 2001. … Playing for the Smokies in 2003, Molina wore #24 (this same #24 Smokies jersey and team signed bat are listed separately). It was in this jersey that he earned his track towards a 2004 callup, such that Topps had to solve how to depict him in late 2003. … And so it happened that Topps decided it was most likely that Molina would stick with his same jersey number, 24, in the majors as he had worn in 2003 for the Tennessee Smokies. … And so they doctored a picture of him from 2003 Spring Training, when he wore #74, deftly changing the 7 into a 2, creating the #24 Home White Cardinals Jersey that Molina NEVER WORE that you see in every Topps & Topps Chrome rookie card from that line. Donruss and Leaf were among those that used other different pictures of Molina wearing the undoctored #74, mostly in back-of-the-card pictures. The proof of the doctoring is simple: the actual real Getty Image picture of Molina BEFORE it was doctored. Wearing number #74. (See pic) Observe how every exact detail of the players in the dugout behind, the crowd in the stands, Molina’s hand and bat position, ALL EXACTLY matches the image on the Topps cards. Except the #74 on the front. All three PSA 10 cards are included: - 2004 Topps Yadier Molina PSA 10 (Topps altered jersey number image) - 2004 Topps Albert Pujols PSA 10 - 2007 Fleer GOLD Yadier Molina PSA 10 Please send any questions prior to bidding. More unique and historic items may be found in my other listings.

Price: 999.99 USD

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri

End Time: 2025-02-09T19:45:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD