Basketball · REFERENCE ENTRY
Bill Russell
1957 · Topps Basketball · #77
Russell’s recognized rookie in the debut Topps basketball set.
- Sport
- Basketball
- Year / season
- 1957
- Set
- Topps Basketball
- Number
- #77
- Format
- Card
- Issue status
- Rookie card
About this card
Bill Russell’s 1957 Topps Basketball card is number 77 in that release. This is a vintage Topps issue. Topps sold its cards in wax packs, usually with a slab of gum, and cut them from large printed sheets, so centering and edges vary from copy to copy.
The catalog labels this a rookie card, based on the source cited below.
How to identify it
Centering, corner wear, stains and print marks are the first things to check on a card this old. Famous cards from the era have been reprinted, so compare the card stock, printing and size with a known original.
In Bill Russell’s run
This is the only Bill Russell entry in the catalog so far.
In the 1957 checklist
This is the only entry from the 1957 Topps Basketball release in the catalog so far. The full release has more cards; this page covers the one cataloged here.
What to know about this issue
- The 80-card set uses player and team caption banners on standard-size cards.
- PSA identifies centering, grainy printing and surface speckling as condition considerations for this issue.
Inspect the source
Source reviewed 2026-10-07. The source describes this issue; it does not verify any item offered by a third party.
No assigned grade, market value or verified offer is supplied by this reference entry.
Read the basketball collecting guideRaw or graded. Inspect the actual copy.
The issue stays 1957 · Topps Basketball. These are research checks, not a condition assessment of a specimen.
Raw / ungraded
- Match the issue
- Match the full year or season, release, number and named edition to this reference. Ask for readable images of the actual item’s front and back.
- Record visible condition
- Inspect corners, edges, centering and surface in suitable photographs or in person. Record damage or unanswered questions without assigning a predicted professional grade.
- Keep authentication separate
- Ungraded does not establish authenticity or mean “never authenticated.” A protective case alone does not establish a professional condition grade.
Professionally graded
- Read the complete label
- Record the grading company, exact issue, card grade and any qualifiers or designation. Keep an autograph grade separate from the card’s condition grade. An authentication-only designation may have no numeric condition grade.
- Compare the certification record
- Use the company’s official lookup and compare its issue details and available images with the actual item, label and holder. A matching certification number alone does not establish that an offered item is genuine.
- Compare within the stated scale
- Retain the company’s exact grade name and number. Different companies and grade designations are not automatically equivalent; a numeric label does not establish a current price.
A source-linked reference or historical scan does not authenticate the card you are considering. CardRoster supplies no assigned grade, certification or price for it.