267 Ultra-Rare 1888 N338-1 S.F. Hess California League “McGinty Steals A Base” - SGC GOOD 2 The N338-1 S.F. Hess California League cards are among the hobby’s greatest 19th Century rarities, extremely difficult to obtain in any grade. This is the only known two-player card (though technically there are three players, as a position player can be seen in the background). Superb photographic clarity, though the image is small, under magnification one can read advertisements on the outfield fence andmake out the lip of the outfield grass. Sadly, we can find no record of a player named McGinty in California League rosters or newspaper accounts from the era, though we have photographic evidence of him being tagged out by an infielder right on this baseball card. The “set,” however, is rare enough that just 20 different subjects are known at this point, and there is precious little research
material to help us piece together complete information on which players appeared on each team and which might be included in the baseball card issue. To the extent that grade is relevant, the card presents tremendously, save for a heavy crease that runs from top to bottom, just to the right of the baseball diamond-shaped photographic image. The only known card in the set that includes this diamond-shaped photo design, it is clearly unique in many aspects, and for this reason is listed in the St andard Catalog wi th a value higher than those of the other known examples - it is a special card. It should also be noted that this card was once part of the collection of noted hobbyist, our good friend Jim Blumenthal, who passed away four years ago. A true rarity, one of the very few opportunities one will have to acquire an example from this extremely desirable and nearly impossible issue to locate. MINIMUM BID: $5,000.00
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