Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXVIII
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
In the 1890’s, the National Tobacco Works included cabinet cards as a premium with their Newsboy tobacco brand. While over 500 popular actresses, politicians, celebrities and athletes were included in the set, only 13 baseball players are currently known, with only two of them Hall of Famers. One of those Cooperstown inductees is “Captain” John Montgomery Ward, presented here in his “Bat at Side” pose in a spectacular SGC 60/5 holder. The overall condition sensitivity and paucity level of high grade Newsboy Cabinets is substantiated by SGC’s prestigious census report indicating that of the TOTAL 43 graded subjects, NONE have been graded higher than this mid-grade 60/5 offering. Furthermore, this is the SOLE “Bat at Side” John Montgomery Ward listed on both the SGC and PSA population reports, the highest graded copy in the hobby.
Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward owns the unique distinction of being the only HOF inductee with over 150 wins and 2000 hits. As a pitcher for the Providence team, he won 47 games in 1879 and 40 the following season including the second perfect game in National league history. Due to an over abundance of innings pitched early in his career he converted to shortstop after Providence sold him to the New York club, embarking on his second career as a full-time position player. To complicate matters even more, he also excelled as a manager for several clubs, raising the question…”should he be enshrined in Cooperstown as a pitcher, shortstop or manager”! Widely renowned for his superior leadership skills, he challenged the reserve clause binding a player to his team by self-renewing contrast, and was the main cog in pioneering the 1890 Player’s League, ably assisted by Hall of Famer Ned Hanlon.
This landmark effort is completely synonymous with this offering that, with via its supreme assigned grade, portrays the popular Hall of Famer in a milestone image. Ward’s sepia-toned mounted “Bat at Side” photo portrays fine registration and while on the lighter side, more than sufficient contrast for this 115 year old marvel. The vintage cap, striped uniform, stockings, cleats and 19th century style bat all contribute to this 19th century relic passing through a “time capsule”, reminding hobbyists of the true origin of our National Pastime. The completely unblemished image is framed by ornate bold red lines, with the red typography below Ward’s hallowed image completely intact. The corner’s have retained a majority of their original round shape, with only the two left corners reflecting some moderate wear. Fine edging and a superlative clean blank back complete this unfathomable mid-grade 19th century classic.
We cannot overemphasize the significance of this magnificent 19th century museum quality remnant. It is inconceivable that any photo celebrating its 115th birthday could possibly pass the test of time, eventually finding itself in this “1 of 1” SGC holder. This Newsboy cabinet basically provides the advanced enthusiast with all of the highly sought after attributes including: (1) scarcity - the single highest graded copy; (2) relative condition perspective to its age – a splendid mid-grade 115 year old 19th century artifact; and (3) player subject – it represents the legendary John Montgomery Ward. Considering cabinet cards are among the hottest collectibles in the hobby, 19th century purist will surely go the distance for this “best of the rest” keepsake that serves as a cornerstone to the evolution of our National Pastime.
Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image below
Hold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available).
Click thumbnail for larger image.