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.

A lesson in how condition — not just the player — writes value at the top.

Only a small handful have ever reached the top grade, and when one surfaces it commands a figure far beyond the card’s everyday price.