2. 1924-25 Aguilitas #869 Oscar Charleston (HOF) – SGC VG 3
Stunning, rare card from the 1924-25 Aguilitas Segundas tobacco issue, fea- turing the great Oscar Charleston, considered the greatest player in Negro Leagues history and one of the top handful of players ever to set foot on a diamond. The card is part of a 44-card subset within the 900-card “Segun- das” set, distributed in Cuba in 1924 and 1925 with Aguilitas cigarettes. Jam- packed with superstars, 28 of the issue’s 44 baseball subjects are enshrined in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, with six having been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The alluring set features beautiful portrait photography, with many of its subjects appearing their best, as light back- grounds and simple lettering puts features and expressions into sharp relief. Like all Cuban cards, the issue is rare, with SGC having graded just 353 ex- amples and PSA 107 more. Just 15 cards of Charleston have been graded by either company, with only five higher than this. One of the key figures of Negro League baseball and considered by Bill James to be the fourth greatest player of all-time, Charleston played or managed with more than a dozen teams in his 43-year career, also playing nine years of winter ball in Cuba. It was during this time that this card was issued, one of just three cards issued during his playing career. Charleston’s lifetime bat- ting average of .364 is just .002 behind Ty Cobb. His 1921 season was, per- haps, his finest, when he posted a .433 batting average and .512 OBP, though he continued to post incredible numbers through the 1920s. In addition to ranking among the Negro Leagues’ top five all-time in batting average and home runs, Charleston is its all-time leader in stolen bases. Though James ranks Charleston fourth all-time, other baseball scholars feel Charleston may be the greatest player ever. The great John McGraw said of Charleston, “If Oscar Charleston isn’t the greatest baseball player in the world, then I’m no judge of baseball talent.” The card has been graded VG 3 by SGC, though the canvas is sharp and clean, with square corners and a strong image. The grade is impacted by
some loss to the photographic emulsion of the card, visible underneath Charleston’s face as well as the text area, with a few small specks on his image as well. Minor glue staining is visible on the reverse, the result of having once been mounted in an album – a common issue with cards from Cuba. Cuban cards are also notoriously condition-sensitive, particularly with photographic issues like Aguilitas and Billikens, which were unforgiving to both handling and climate. In recent years, as Charleston begins to gain recognition as one of the game’s most elite players, his cards have begun to fetch prices more consistent with his legend. A Charleston card from his 1923-24 Tomas Gutierrez issue set a record in our Summer auction, realizing a price of more than $250,000, becoming not only the highest-selling Charleston card but also the highest-selling card depicting any Negro League player. Another Aguilitas Charleston graded SGC 2 realized a price of $132,000 at auction three years ago, at the time setting a record. In- deed, Charleston cards have reached six-figure sale prices three times, as we sold a Tomas Gutierrez Charleston for more than $142,000 in 2023. Charleston’s legend will only grow, and collectors will only become more aware of the rarity of the 1920s Cuban issues as time goes on. Any chance to own a playing days card of a Negro League Hall of Famer is exceptional, and the possibility of obtaining a card of a player of Charleston’s caliber is significant. An elite card, one of the most significant we have ever offered, a true rarity, and an incredible opportunity. MINIMUM BID: $20,000
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