Design lovers cherish the 1975 Topps set for its two-tone borders, and Ryan’s #500 is one of its crown cards — an Angel at the peak of his strikeout-record powers.
But those bright borders are the collector’s curse: they chip, and they reveal every flaw of centering, which is why a truly gem copy is almost impossible to find.
The borders are the whole difficulty. They chip, and then they show it.
Only a small handful have ever reached the top grade, which makes a clean one less a purchase than a survivor of fifty years of handling.
Set
1975 Topps
Card
#500
Team
California Angels
Challenge
Bright borders chip easily
Status
The condition classic