A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS
28. 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats Chippy McGarr (McGan) – PSA PR 1
29. 1889 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #251-2 Tim Keefe (HOF) – PSA GOOD 2(MC)
This 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats card shows mustachioed star Chippy McGarr giving you his “hard stare,” an image that offers remarkable clarity and personality at this technical grade. K-Bats epitomize “scarce and desirable” as CdV-sized photographic cards mounted on heavy cardboard featuring key figures of that era. Fronts advertise Kalamazoo tobacco, sometimes paired with another ad on the reverse. Any variation of front and back can sell for significant amounts, thanks to their prominence in 19th-century collecting.
Tim Keefe rates as one of our pastime’s first outstanding pitchers and topped the league in key categories several times during his career, as well as led his New York Giants to back- to-back titles in 1888-89. As testament to this popularity, Keefe appears nine different times in the N172 set, seven as pitching poses and two with a bat. While he showed occasional power, Keefe’s actual batting average paled in comparison to those
During his playing career, McGarr, like the famous fictional detective Hercule Poirot, proudly wore a prominent, well-kept mustache, so his 19th-century tobacco cards present a striking contrast to baseball’s clean-shaven standard just a decade later. PSA’s POOR 1 displays better than most of this technical grade, showing modest corner wear and surface marks closer to its periphery. Its player image and uniform details remain strong. Sheer rarity drives a great deal of N690 interest and value, as just four of its players are encapsulated by PSA, with the population report containing a single example for each.
peak pitching feats.
This PSA GOOD 2 (MC) grade exhibits mixed image contrast, as it retains uniform and facial details against a pale background. The “miscut” qualifier exhibits tight borders on two sides, a common occurrence during the production and cutting of Old Judge cards. PSA’s population report contains just four encapsulated across all grades, with none higher than GOOD 2, making this HOFer a challenging example to improve.
MINIMUM BID: $750
MINIMUM BID: $1,500
30. 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #301-5 Tommy McCarthy (HOF – Philadelphia) – PSA FR 1.5(MK)
Love of the Game offers a pair of Tommy McCarthy poses in this auction, which seems appropriate for one half of Boston’s “Heavenly Twin” outfield that excelled under Hall of Fame manager Frank Selee. Tommy McCarthy became known for innovative fielding and set the record for outfield assists during that era with his ability to trap fly balls and catch runners unaware This tougher variation on Tommy’s #301-5 card shows him during a limited stay in Philadelphia, where he played just 26 games across 1886-87. The “arched banner” ad and “leading 0” number at its upper-right corner indicate this was printed for N172’s 1887 series. Later layouts change his team to “St. Louis” and differ notably in appearance, since they removed those details and center McCarthy’s pose differently. This single presents far better than many collector-grade Old Judge cards, offering above-average depth, a detailed uniform, and clear text. Balanced corner wear, light pencil on its reverse, and minor surface marks justify this technical score. It remains a tough find in any condition, as PSA’s population report contains just three total across all grades and doesn’t distinguish between its Philadelphia and St. Louis versions, implying it contains a smaller number of each.
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
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