Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXVIII
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
The card collecting hobby is currently experiencing a T206 collecting craze far beyond anyone’s expectations. Most likely due to the recent 100 year anniversary of the popular tobacco brand cards, it appears that a majority of vintage pre-WWI collectors are now jumping aboard the T206 mania bandwagon, attempting to assemble all 520 subjects (less the “big four” - Wagner, Plank, Magee error and Doyle variation). The prestigious “Monster” T206 set distributed between 1909 and 1911 included 48 minor league players. Designated as “Southern Leaguers” they are scarcer than the standard major league subjects with a majority of the players carrying an “Old Mill” cigarette advertisement for the four different Minor League regions including Texas, South Atlantic, Virginia and Southern. One of the finest Southern League specimens in existence is the Birmingham’s Carleton Molesworth, presented here in a breathtaking PSA 8 holder. Since there are no Molesworth “8’s” reported in the “Old Mill” category, we can safely assume that this offering represents one of the two PSA 8’s residing in the “unknown category”. Unfortunately, we cannot verify the advertisement backs for the remaining PSA 8 and PSA 9 examples included in the “unknown backs” category, although it is more likely they carry the more common Piedmont Cigarette advertisement.
Carlton Molesworth actually pitched in the Major Leagues for a single season in 1895. Appearing in only 4 games, the southpaw never returned to Major League baseball, and actually became a standout hitter for the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association. From 1899 through 1915, he played 15 Minor League seasons and ended his professional career with a stellar .298 lifetime batting average, taking over as the Baron’s player/manager in 1908. His classic “hands at side” image portrays a splendid array of gray colored uniform tints brilliantly highlighted by the pristine soft yellow/green background. The entire image is well centered between four snow white borders, and the corners are razor sharp. The critical reverse side “Old Mill Cigarettes” advertisement portrays bold black typography including the print for the four leagues, the final highlight to this undeniable “pack fresh” cardboard gem. It almost seems inconceivable that a century old card could retain the pristine qualities this offering provides, but fortunately for the long line of esteemed T206 enthusiasts this example resides as one of the finest T206 Southern Leaguers in existence, worthy of a special place in the finest PSA Set Registry collection!
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