1961 ESCO Exhibit Supply ARETHA FRANKLIN Billboard Rev ROOKIE CARD QUEEN of SOUL

Description: This is the TRUE rookie card of the Queen of Soul, the legendary Aretha Franklin. Issued in 1961, the Billboard Magazine biography reverse has her at age 19 (born 1942), and it pre-dates her several different 1968 so-called rookie card issues by seven years. Exhibit Supply Co of Chicago issued these 3 3/8" x 5 3/8" 'postcard-size' cards to be sold in arcade machines. This particular card is quite scarce. In the past two years, just four examples have been sold on eBay, and none are currently offered. Why there are nor more is probably explained by the fact that in 1961, her career was really just getting started. She had some success on the R&B charts but did not see her mainstream breakthrough until 1967. By 1972 she was firmly entrenched as "The Queen of Soul'. Her list of career accomplishments and awards is endless. No collection of rookie cards of music and entertainment icons is complete without this card. The condition is a pleasing Very Good. Clean on the front and on the biography reverse (bio supplied by Billboard Magazine). The corners have slight rounding. There is one crease, which looks to me like a factory crease - one that was in the card sheet at the time of printing - that is visible on the reverse. This falls within the standards for a PSA 3 VG. These mild flaws do not effect the image of a young Franklin. Her Wikipedia page shows a November 1960 Billboard ad promoting her first single 'Today I Sing the Blues' in which she has the same hairstyle and is wearing the same dress - the image on this card was taken from that photo session from fall of 1960 when she was 18. Insured shipping is $11.50

Price: 249.99 USD

Location: Rochester, New York

End Time: 2024-11-07T21:32:51.000Z

Shipping Cost: 11.5 USD