A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS
42. Extremely Rare 1887 N690 Kalamzoo Bats Jack “Candy” Nelson - Mets - SGC AUTHENTIC
Produced by Charles Gross and Company of Philadelphia, the Kalamazoo Bats issue currently numbers 62 known cards, though additional subjects are occasionally still being discovered. Since the issue originates from Philadelphia, a large percentage of the known subjects are from the two Philadelphia teams, with the remaining subjects being members of the New York Mets or Giants. Cards featuring the New York players are quite rare, and are highly coveted by advanced collectors. Presented here is a very rare example featuring utilityman Candy Nelson. As is the case with all known Metropolitans cards from the issue, Nelson is pictured in portrait form, wearing a spotted necktie. Graded “Authentic” by SGC with an “evidence of trimming” notation, the card exhibits some light staining in the top of the image area and some creasing at the upper-left corner. The trimming refers to the bottom border, which is missing a portion of the Kalamazoo Bats ad that typically appears below the image, but has, in this case, been trimmed away. One of just two examples graded by either company, the card is rare enough that the aforementioned trimming is largely irrelevant; finding a more attractive, higher-grade example is virtually impossible. An extremely rare card from one of the hobby’s most interesting and attractive 19th Century sets.
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
43. 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #456-4 Sam Thompson (HOF) - PSA VG 3
44. 1887 N690 Kalamzoo Bats Harry Stovey (Stowe - Hands Outstretched) - SGC GD 2
Big Sam Thompson was one of the game’s first great sluggers with a whopping 126 career home runs. His 166 RBI in 1887 was a record that stood until it was broken by Babe Ruth in 1921, and at the time of his retirement he was second on the career home runs list. Additionally, Thompson was part of the only all-.400 hitting outfield of all-time, along with Tuck Turner (.416), Ed Delahanty (.407) and Billy Hamilton (.404) with the 1894 Phillies. One of the tougher poses of Thompson, this 1889 card pictures him with Philadelphia,
Few prewar card issues epitomize the term “scarce and desirable” the way the 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats cards do. Issued between 1886 and 1887, the “KBats” are CdV- sized photographic cards mounted on heavy cardboard. While some have advertising printed on the back, this particular card is of the blank-backed variety. Tough 19th Century cards are often the passion of advanced collectors, and the KBats are among the most impressive of the era.
who purchased his contract in the fall of 1888. The addition of his new team across his breast is the most visible component of this slightly-faded example, which has been graded VG 3 by PSA. An exceptional card, featuring a difficult pose of a desirable Hall of Famer.
Identified as “Stowe,” outfielder/first baseman Harry Stovey is depicted here in one of two known poses in the issue, his hands outstretched as if reaching for a baseball. Thought somewhat faded, the image contrast remains strong enough to view much of the photo detail as well as the background. Graded GOOD 2 by SGC, the card does exhibit aheavy crease in the bottom border that traverses into the lower part of the image area, yet does not interfere with the visual appeal of the card. Light soiling is visible on the reverse, a largely clean and attractive example of one of the 19th Century’s great stars, a potential future candidate for the Hall of Fame.
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
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