1968 Topps Test Issue #18 Elgin Baylor - PSA 8

Elgin “Rabbit” Baylor, is regarded as a forefather for the modern basketball wing, an ahead-of-his-time shot creator who also made a habit of playing “above the rim.”

A 10-time All-NBA First Team selection, 11-time All-Star, and 1958-59 Rookie of the Year honoree, Baylor was a stunning force on the offensive end of the court defined by his undefendable jump shot and incredible leaping ability. Baylor is best remembered for setting and, to this day, holding the all-time record for points in an NBA Finals game when he scored 61 in Game 5 of the 1962 title series.

The card commemorates Baylor’s 11th season in the NBA, his last of 10 All-NBA First Team nominations. That campaign culminated in his Lakers, featuring Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, falling in seven games in the NBA Finals to the Bill Russell, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones led Boston Celtics in arguably the greatest series in NBA history.

The 1968-69 Topps Test Basketball set, a piece of black-and-white vintage glory, has a mysterious, even mythical place in the basketball hobby. Having not produced a set for basketball in over a decade, Topps created the collection in anticipation of a return to basketball the next year. While the origins of the set aren’t surely known, it is theorized that Topps created the format to audition for the NBA or use as a practice run for the coming release. In any case, the cards were seemingly never meant for wide release. Within the 22-card set, 17 players have been inducted into the Hall of Fame including Baylor, Russell, and Chamberlain. Collectors who have managed to piece the entire 22 card set together can flip them over to form a large puzzle, picturing Wilt Chamberlain dunking.

This card has been authenticated and deemed to be in Near Mint-Mint condition, receiving a grade of 8 from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). It is among the most immaculate prints of the card ever certified. It is one of only two PSA 8s, and there is a lone PSA 9 with a qualifier No other examples have matched or bested the one offered.

The PSA certificate number for this card is: 11164792.

Going Deeper - Elgin Baylor

A graduate of Seattle University, where he staged a run to the NCAA Championship game, “Rabbit” came to the NBA as a Laker in 1958, just a few years before they would trade Minneapolis for sunny Los Angeles. Averaging 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds at 24 years old, Baylor was a unanimous Rookie of the Year. Despite his auspicious start, he would run into the first of a great many heartbreaks in purple and gold. 

Playing at the same time as arguably the greatest buzzsaw in sports history, Bill Russell’s 1960s Boston Celtics, many of Baylor’s seasons ended in defeat to the green and white. In fact, in his career Rabbit would watch the Celtics knock his Lakers out in the NBA Finals on eight occasions over an 11-year period. 

In spite of the repeated disappointment, Elgin produced moments of sheer brilliance, none greater than his performance in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals. In a tied series and playing at the Boston Garden, he took over from the opening tip, pouring in shots over and around two of the best defenders in the league in Russell and “Satch” Sanders. Speaking later, Sanders referred to Elgin as “a machine” who simply could not be stopped. All told, Baylor finished with 61 points, an NBA record for a Finals game, while crashing the boards for an exceptional 22 rebounds. The mark has reigned over more than sixty ensuing championship series.

While Elgin retired following career-ending injuries in 1972 having never got a chance to hoist a championship title, he is widely lauded as a precursor to the modern wing. At the time of cataloging, he holds the Lakers career records for points per game as well as total rebounds over the likes of Kareem, Kobe, Shaq, and LeBron.

Kobe Bryant, who admitted that he “stole so many” of Baylor’s moves as he came up in the game, said of the Laker great: “he was Dr. J and Michael Jordan before Dr. J and Michael Jordan.”