Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXVIII
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
One of the rarest type card issues in existence are the 1913 Voskamp’s Pittsburg Pirates. The B.H. Voskamp’s Sons manufacturer enclosed baseball cards of the Pittsburg Pirates in their coffee and tea packaged products, with these regional issued cards potentially redeemable for tickets to a Pirates game. These 2-1/4” x 3-5/8” scarcities are seldom offered in the hobby, with the set’s most prestigious subject the immortal Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, with this remarkable cardboard artifact presented here in an SGC 10/1 holder. Forget the grade because its sheer existence far outdistances any technical assessment. Consider that BOTH the SGC and PSA grading companies, combined, have only encapsulated 5 other Wagner specimens. Further substantiating the extreme rarity of the 1913 Voskamp’s is that of the 20 total subjects, the combined SGC and PSA encapsulated examples only totals 42 copies, or a paltry average of two per subject!
Honus Wagner’s dominance of the pre-war market can be solely attributed to the iconic stature of his unparalleled T206 tobacco card. Not only has this prized cardboard artifact taken a stranglehold on the illustrious card circuit, but its world renowned prestige is comparable with any major existing collectible. True, Wagner is a 1936 charter member of baseball’s Hall of Fame and is widely regarded by most experts as the greatest shortstop who ever lived, but with all of his “on the field” success, his virtually supreme collectible status was elevated to stratospheric heights via his short lived appearance on a T206 tobacco card. This is the major force driving collectors to seize any of Wagner’s seldom surfacing cardboard rarities, and only a handful at most could conceivably be scarcer than this magnificent offering.
One of only six SGC and PSA total graded examples, this sparse cardboard subject reflects a splendid black & white “leisurely” standing Wagner image, with his hands placed behind his back. While a heavy horizontal crease does pass through Wagner, directly below his chin, and some surface abrasions exist near his waistline (particularly above the left side of his belt), the classic image still portrays fine aesthetics via its formidable contrast and clarity. A diagonal crease by the lower left corner does not impede on the illustration, and the rounded corner wear including some layer fortunately provides a level of eye pleasing uniformity. The reverse side also depicts the aforementioned creasing, with additional soiling, surface abrasion/scuffing and light checklist notations situated to the left of the player’s names. Luckily, a majority of the original bold black print is still legible with the sparse typography reading: “VOSKAMP’S – FANCY BLEND COFFEE and DRAWING ROOM TEA”. After the checklist, the redemption instructions read: “When you have a complete set bring them or send them to us. We will return the photos to you and furnish you with one reserved base ball seat, Grand Stand, Forbes Field, or two general admission seats, or four bleacher seats”. After this redemption process, the company’s advertisement is located at the bottom, stating: “B.H. Voskamp’s SONS INC. – Wholesale Grocery – (Penn Ave & 11th St.) PITTSBURGH, PA.”. While both the obverse and reverse sides exhibit some surface scuffing and creasing issues, the major card attractions are predominately intact including the visual appeal of both Wagner’s exalted image and a majority of the reverse side print details.
Unquestionably, this is where a card’s paucity level easily surpasses the significance of its assigned grade, especially considering the subject’s name is Honus Wagner. While this is certainly NOT the T206 Wagner, consider that its existence is far scarcer than the “Holy Grail”, justifying why this ultra rare “Flying Dutchman” artifact carries a considerable potential upside to its already high-end value!
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