This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
In 1887, a large New York tobacco firm named Goodwin & Company issued baseball player cards to promote their Old Judge and Gypsy Queen cigarette brands, becoming one of the first cigarette manufactures to insert baseball cards into their tobacco brand packs. Actual player sepia toned photos were pasted on stiff “blank back” cardboard, not only as a sales incentive, but to protect the cigarettes via the stiff cardboard stock that was used. Remarkably, more than 500 different player photos were utilized to represent the players of the day with many player subjects issued with various poses. Loaded with 19th century Hall of Famers, one of the most popular Cooperstown inductees is the tragic “Big” Ed Delahanty. Like most Old Judge N172 cards still in circulation, a majority of the known Delahanty’s reside inmid-grade condition, at best, with a majority of the subjects poorly preserved due to 123 years of potential wear. The handful of high grade Delahanty’s are virtually never seen, let alone offered for sale. PSA’s “pop” chart lists only a single “NM-MT 8” and two “EX-MT 6’s (BOTH with qualifiers!) as the three finest PSA Delahanty graded specimens. Meanwhile, SGC’s census report indicates only a single “NM+ 7.5”, a single “NM 7” and four “EX 5’s” as their six best examples. That considered, today is every elite 19th century collector’s lucky day because the SOLE PSA “NM-MT 8” N172 Old Judge Delahanty “hands at waist” variation is now being offered in what might be your final chance to claim ownership of the highest graded N172 Ed Delahanty in existence!
So why is this Delahanty offering coveted by the most advanced collectors in the hobby? First & foremost, it represents the incomparable “Big” Ed Delahanty who just might be the most sort after 19th century Hall of Famer (with all due respect to Cap Anson).. In only 15 seasons, “Big Ed” accumulated almost 2,600 hits, batted over .400 three times and finished his career with a .346 lifetime batting average. He also owns the rare distinction of winning a batting title in both the National (Phillies) and American (Senators) leagues. Unfortunately, his career ended in tragedy when in 1903 he, allegedly, after drinking too much, stumbled off a train crossing over Niagara Falls and plunged to his untimely death. Who knows how many more years he could have accumulated HOF numbers, easily surpassing 3,000 hits, 2,000 runs scored and possibly 2,000 RBIs. Yet, synonymous to the immortal Lou Gehrig, Delahanty’s tragic death has solidified his sanctified legacy, forever branding him as a baseball legend with an eternal resting place in Cooperstown, New York. Secondly, while there are only a handful of other Delahanty issues (Duke and Old Judge Cabinets, Mayo Cut Plug, W600, Breisch Williams – “Big Ed” was excluded from the Allen & Ginter and Goodwin Champions issues), making any Delahanty cardboard specimen a true treasure, let alone one that resides as the finest “1 of 1” graded copy on the planet!
Considering this Delahanty Old Judge card is 123 years old (imagine!), it is unfathomable that it could possibly retain the qualities required for its technical assessment. Consider that PSA has encapsulated approximately 2,600 Old Judge cards with only 2.7% achieving the “NM-MT 8” hallowed grade. Furthermore, since there are only six known PSA 9 Old Judge N172’s (a paltry 0.3%!), even the elite high grade enthusiast must accept the fact that virtually all of their high grade N172 conquests will, at best, reside in a “NM-MT 8” holder.
The eye appeal of Delahanty’s “hands at waist” pose depicts sharp clarity and fine contrast with the image well centered between four relatively clean borders. Fine corner tips, sharp edging, bold/vivid print registration and a clean surface all contribute to the rarely seen technical assessment. Only a microscopic hint of flaking situated near the central right edge encroaches on a near perfect obverse side. Delahanty’s awe-inspiring aesthetics are a testament to baseball’s storied past, worthy of a place not only in Cooperstown, but of the world renowned Louvre, as well.
To reiterate, unlike many Hall of Fame immortals, there are not many available cardboard issues reflecting the ultra-desirable Delahanty name. Considering that Delahanty lost approx. 4 – 6 years off of an already brilliant major league career, who knows how many more cardboard issues his popular picture would have appeared on. After 1903, many postcards and ‘E’/’T’ cards were issued between 1904 and 1910, and some (if not all) could have had the fortune of including Delahanty in their sets. Unfortunately, advanced collectors have been deprived of these potential “Big Ed” issues and have to seek out the few remnants that exist in the hobby today. NONE could possibly compare to this stratospheric high grade Old Judge offering that resides as the finest graded specimen on the planet, and serves as a miraculous reminder of the historical origin of our National Pastime, effectively linking the present and past via its “World Class” status!