A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS Issued in the late 1890s by the National Tobacco Works, the N566
25. 1886 N167 Old Judge Cigarettes Mickey Welch (HOF) - SGC PR 1 It has taken ten years of auctions for us to finally offer a card from the incredible N167 Old Judge issue of 1886, and it is fitting that the card originates from the collection of one of our great friends and earliest supporters, an advanced collector whose kindness and generosity helped guide us through our earliest days, and who was a vocal supporter of Love of the Game from the very beginning. The card features Hall of Fame pitcher Mickey Welch, one of just 37 cards from the entire issue to have been graded by SGC. For their part, PSA has assessed just 15. The card was part of a 12-card set issued in 1886 by Goodwin & Co, each card featuring a member of the New York National League ballclub. The 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” cards were printed on very thin paper, each featuring a portrait derived from woodcut images made from photographs taken by Joseph Wood. Each portrait is set against a gray background, the brand “Old Judge” featured on the card front and an ornate Old Judge advertisement printed on the reverse. Half of the issue’s subjects would ultimately be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. They are extraordinarily rare, to the point where just one complete set is known to have existed, with two of the cards in that set being the only known examples. This example has been graded POOR 1 by SGC for obvious reasons; heavy wear at the corners and edges reduce the technical grade. Despite this, the image of Welch remains strong, the majority of the wear found away from the image itself. The ornate advertisement on the reverse remains strong and bold, despite significant surface wear. An incredible card featuring a Hall of Famer from Goodwin & Co.’s first attempt at baseball cards. MINIMUM BID: $2,500
26. 1895 N566 Newsboy Cabinets Amos Rusie (HOF) - SGC GD 2
Newsboy Cabinet set was a massive set that contained hundreds of popular athletes, actresses, locations, politicians and more. The 4 1/2” x 6 1/2” sepia photographs were mounted on a variety of cardboard backings, many cream in color but in some cases gray with green borders and text.
Newsboy cabinets of baseball players are very highly desirable, particularly due to their extraordinary scarcity. Just 14 baseball players are known, among more than 600 cabinets discovered thus far, with multiple variations possible. Of the 14 known baseball players featured in the Newsboy issue, just three depict Hall of Famers: two variations featuring John Ward, and one of Amos Rusie. Presented here is one of just 7 Newsboy Amos Rusie cabinets to have been graded by SGC (PSA has graded two additional). Featuring a beautiful image with extraordinary clarity and contrast, the grade of GOOD 2 relates largely to a lower-left corner clip, general corner and edge wear, and some light surface wear on the image and mount. Overall eye appeal is outstanding, however, a gorgeous specimen featuring a popular Hall of Famer of the era. Newsboy cabinets featuring baseball players are very difficult to locate, and with just two different Hall of Famers in the set, they are quite desirable when they become available. Rarely can one be found with this type of eye appeal; simply an outstanding piece.
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
10 TH ANNIVERSARY AUCTION − CLOSES NOVEMBER 26, 2022 31
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