Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXV
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
2/12/2010
In 1887, a large New York tobacco firm named Goodwin & Company baseball player cards to promote their Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarette brands. Actual player sepia toned photos were pasted on stiff “blank Back” cardboard, not only as a sales incentive, but to protect the cigarettes via the stiff cardboard stock that was used. Currently there are over 3,500 variations known, with up to 20 different images for a single player! The card offered here is the iconic Hall of Famer Cap Anson in a splendid portrait pose that is graded an SGC 50/4. Is this card “tough” to come by? Currently, SGC has encapsulated only 17 other examples, with a mere 6 graded higher!
Adrian “Cap” Anson, is by far the most illustrious “player” for any 19th century collector. The Hall of Fame 1st baseman of the Chicago club was the first member of the illustrious 3,000 hit club, and ended a remarkable 27 year career with a .329 lifetime batting average. Furthermore he clubbed 97 home runs, and five over a two game span, in an era where only a few each season was a formidable feat. The offered example provides a fine sepia toned portrait image of the immortal Hall of Famer, and as is the case with many Old Judge examples, contrast that slightly borders on the lighter side. Surface wear is depicted along the top edge, and all four corners are only slightly rounded with the bottom two leaning more towards their original square shape. There is an approximate ½” diminutive vertical surface stain situated near the top left edge that in no way detracts from the superb eye appeal of this classic Anson artifact. A relatively clean reverse side “blank back” is the final compliment to a card that we feel is consistent with the SGC technical assessment.
It cannot be underestimated the significance of a Cap Anson Old Judge card. It provides us with a direct link to the origin of our revered game, and is a miraculous “time capsule” to assist any enthusiast in the clear understanding of our National Pastime’s 19th century heroes. Considering that Anson is, undoubtedly, one of baseball’s great pioneer batsmen and the charter member of the hallowed 3,000 hit club, how can any collector “not” want to capture what may be his most sought after masterpiece!
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