A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS
40. 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #254-9 King Kelly (HOF) - PSA GD 2
41. 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #301-8 Tommy McCarthy (HOF) - PSA EX-MT 6(MK) - Highest Graded!
Exceptional Old Judge card featuring King Kelly, one of the most popular players of his era, in one of the less frequently seen of his 11 poses in the issue. In fact, this is the only example of the pose that PSA has graded. Pictured here in the uniform of the Boston Beaneaters, where Kelly would play for three seasons after starring in Chicago, the image is very strong, one of the finest we have encountered. An early example from 1887, Kelly is identified as “$10,000 Kelly,” a reference to his sale to Boston for the then-
Outstanding example of Hall of Famer Tommy McCarthy, one of nine different poses of McCarthy known in the N172 Old Judge Cigarettes issue. Catalogued as card #301-8, this is an exceptionally high-grade specimen, attaining the lofty plateau of EX-MT 6. The (MK) qualifier assigned by PSA refers to the owner’s stamp of one Bernard McAtee, carefully placed at the center of the reverse. The stamp in no way interferes with the aesthetics of the card, and in many collecting circles actually enhances its desirability, as the provenance associated with such markings is appealing to many advanced collectors. Most important here, of course, is the quality of the image, which is quite extraordinary. McCarthy’s image is clean with strong contrast, despite being set against a light colored background. The typography is sharp and clean, the image well-centered with square corners and even borders. Despite the qualifier, the card is still the highest-graded assessed by PSA by a considerable margin, as the next-highest example of this pose is graded GOOD 2.5.
astronomical price. The image contrast, like that of so many of the other Old Judge cards featured in this auction, is far above average for the issue. The numerical grade assigned by PSA speaks to corner wear as well as a light corner crease at the bottom left.
MINIMUM BID: $3,500
MINIMUM BID: $1,500
42. 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes #355-3 Hank O’Day (HOF) - SGC PR 1
In 2013, it was announced that the Pre-Integration Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame had elected Hank O’Day, with Hank receiving 15 votes from the 16-member commission. O’Day, the only man in history to play umpire and manage in the National League, was an umpire in the first World Series in 1903, along with nine more Series during his 35-year career. It was Hank O’Day who made what is probably still the most famous “out” call in history – the one where Hall of Famer Johnny Evers produced the baseball and stepped on second base forcing out Fred Merkle in that infamous 1908 game. O’Day, who passed away in 1935, was also a serviceable pitcher in his younger years, compiling a 73-110 record over a 7 year career lasting from 1884 to 1890. It was in in 1889 that O’Day pitched for the champion New York Giants team that featured greats such as Buck Ewing, Jim O’Rourke, John Montgomery Ward, Roger Connor, Tim Keefe and Mickey Welch – one of the most famous 19th Century baseball teams. After the 1889 season O’Day’s career blossomed as he moved with his Giants teammates to Monte Ward’s player’s league – however more than 300 innings pitched took a toll on O’Day’s arm and after one season in the minors he became an umpire, working his first game in 1895. The definitive guide to Old Judge baseball cards, The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company, was published in 2008, five years before O’Days induction. As such, he is not included in the book’s scarcity list
of Hall of Famers - however, our anecdotal evidence is that O’Day N172s are scarce in comparison to many of the issue’s Hall of Famers - this is only the fifth we have offered. A strong example with a slight registration issue causing a minor blur to the image and text, the technical grade is largely due to scrapbook damage on the reverse that creates a bit of waviness to the top right corner of the photo. Regardless, a clean example of a tough, recently inducted Hall of Famer.
MINIMUM BID: $1,500
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