Rare Arthur Ashe rookie card sets record at PWCC

Arthur Ashe was not only the first black tennis star to win three ATP Grand Slam tournaments, but he changed the game forever with his civil rights activism.

Ashe’s rookie card was not the highest-selling card in PWCC’s recent March Premier Auction, but it might be the most significant. The 1966 Ruiz Romero Futbol Tenis Ciclismo card sold for $5,160, becoming the iconic tennis champion’s highest-selling trading card of all time.

1966 Ruiz Romero Futbol Arthur Ashe Tenis Ciclismo card. PWCC Marketplace

“Arthur Ashe’s rookie card is one of the finest vintage tennis collectibles in existence, and it’s exciting to see it getting the record-setting attention it deserves,” said Jesse Craig, vice president of sales at PWCC Marketplace. “Ashe is one of the most talented and important athletes of the 20th century, and there’s a very limited supply of these cards still on the market, which makes it extremely difficult to find a copy of this caliber.”

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Ashe’s record-setting card is graded PSA 2 Good. Only two other copies have earned as high of a grade from PSA.

Ashe, who began playing tennis at age 6, became the first African American to win the NCAA singles championship while playing for UCLA in 1975. After turning pro he became the first black player selected for the United States Davis Cup team and remains the only African American man to win the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles. He won 30 other tournament championships during his distinguished career.

Off the court, Ashe was a champion for players’ rights, co-founding both the National Junior Tennis and Learning Network and the Association of Tennis Professionals. After being denied a visa to play in the 1969 South African Open due to the country’s apartheid segregation policies, Ashe lobbied for stronger U.S. sanctions and demanded action from the International Lawn Tennis Federation, earning recognition from civil rights activist and future South Africa President Nelson Mandela.

PWCC’s March Premier Auction totaled $8.5 million in sales across 188 assets.

Other key sales included:

• 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Padparadscha Max Verstappen 1/1 #6 (PSA 9) for $336,000, his second-highest selling trading card to date.

2020 Topps Chrome F1 Max Verstappen Padparadscha card. PWCC Marketplace

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• 2018 National Treasures Shai Gilgeous-Alexander RC Logoman Patch Auto 1/1 (SGC 9) for $228,000, shattering the previous record of $87,000 set last fall.