45. Rare 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats Harry Stovey (Stowe - Hands on Hips) - SGC VG-EX 4
47. 1895 N300 Mayo Cut Plug Buck Ewing (Cleveland) - SGC VG/EX 4
The Mayo’s Cut Plug issue is a 48-card set featuring 40 different players in black and white or sepia portrait photos. The photos are set against stark black borders with the Mayo’s Cut Plug logo and slogan in the bottom border. The backs, also black, are blank. Black borders and backs are extremely susceptible to chipping and damage from scrapbooks; the result is a dearth of mid and high- grade specimens.
Exceedingly rare card of potential Hall of Famer Harry Stovey. Born Harold Duffield Stow, he used the name “Stovey” to conceal his identity from his mother, who would have otherwise read accounts of “Stow” playing in baseball games. One of three different cards in the issue to feature Stovey (two of which use his given name), the “hands on hips” pose is the rarest of the three. Just two graded examples of this card are known, this being the highest. An earlier grade, SGC was a bit more forgiving on corner wear than they might be today,
Though the issue is typically described as being from 1895, significant evidence exists that the first run of N300 cards were produced in 1894. This card, picturing Hall of Famer Buck Ewing in a Cleveland uniform, is part of that evidence. Ewing spent much of the 1894 season with the Cleveland Spiders, but was released in July. That December, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds, and his N300 card was updated, with “Cleveland” erased from his jersey and replaced with “Cincinnati, and his position of “RF” replaced with “FB” (perhaps reflecting his new role as the Reds’ ‘field boss’). This example reflects little of the chipping typically seen with this issue, a light bit of surface soiling visible upon close examination. The black reverse is largely clean. An important card, from an early print run of the popular N300 Mayo’s baseball set. A key card from the popular caramel issue, featuring Ty Cobb early in his Hall of Fame career. Wellcentered, the card does exhibit some corner rounding and edge softness along with some light wrinkling, primarily at the corners. The card is, overall, clean, with little perceptible surface wear. A strong, collector-grade example of one of Cobb’s most popular caramel issues. 48. 1909-11 E90-1 American Caramel Ty Cobb (HOF) - SGC VG 3 MINIMUM BID: $2,000 MINIMUM BID: $750
however, the card remains a visually pleasing one despite the wear. The image quality is quite strong, with some areas of light foxing throughout, more prominent on the reverse. One of the tougher cards in this issue, highly prized by advanced hobbyists.
MINIMUM BID: $1,500
46. 1887 N269 Prizefighters #17 John L. Sullivan (HOF) - PSA GOOD 2
Exceptional card from the Lorillard’s “Mechanics Delight” issue of 1887. An attractive, illustrated issue with cards measuring close to the size of today’s cards, the set includes all the important boxers of the era as well as a few of the gangsters that were the inspiration for “Gangs of New York.” One of two poses of John L. Sullivan in the set, this example has been graded GOOD 2 by PSA as a result of scrapbook residue and slight paper loss on the reverse. The fronts clean, the majority of the wear restricted to the corners. A beautiful card from a seldom-seen 19th Century issue.
MINIMUM BID: $750
SPRING 2024 PREMIER AUCTION − CLOSES MARCH 30, 2024 31
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