February Auction Heavy on Prewar Gems
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February Auction Heavy on Prewar Gems
Pre-war enthusiasts who dive into REA’s February Auction will be delighted by the diversity in materials available.
Of course there’s plenty of iconic T206 cards the auction house is famous for, but collectors seeking treasures more rare will uncover plenty of well-conditioned pre-1900 lots, and perhaps the most interesting item, a spectacular M101-4 1916 George Sisler with a Green-Joyce advertising back, with the highest grade on record from SCG.
Let’s review some of the top items.
Lot # 4: 1916 M101-4 Green Joyce #164 George Sisler Rookie
To date, only 66 examples featuring a Green Joyce back (of all players) have been graded by SGC, with this example being the highest of them all. While exact population numbers for ungraded examples cannot be known, in their extensive research into the M101-4/5 sets and their advertising backs, hobby scholars Tim Newcomb and Todd Schultz estimate that Green Joyce cards are among the most difficult to find (along with Everybody’s, Holmes to Homes, and Mall Theatre) and account for less than 1 percent of the entire M101-4/5 production run of all back varieties (Green Joyce has been confirmed to appear only on M101-4 cards). While this card may be appreciated by collectors for its rarity over its technical grade, it remains an extremely attractive example, with a crisp image, outstanding contrast, and honest corner wear. The reverse advertisement for Green Joyce is bold and crisp. This is a striking rookie card of George Sisler featuring an ultra-rare back advertisement from one of the most important baseball-card issues of the era. A worthy addition to even the most advanced George Sisler, Hall of Fame, or type-card collection!
Lot # 14: 1909-1911 T206 White Border Ty Cobb Portrait Red Background
Outstanding mid-grade example of one of Detroit Tigers Hall of Famers Ty Cobb’s iconic cards. The red-background pose has long been considered one of the classics of the T206 set and of all vintage cards. This well-centered card features a brilliant red background, outstanding registration, and even corner wear. Boldy printed Piedmont 350-460/25 advertising reverse. The red-background Cobb portrait is one of the key cards of the set, and this example would be a highlight in any high-quality T206, Hall of Famer, or Ty Cobb card collection.
Lot # 5: 1887 N172 Old Judge Art Whitney with Dog
1887 N172 Old Judge card featuring one of the most unusual and memorable images to ever appear on a baseball card: Pittsburgh third baseman Art Whitney kneeling with a dog (Pose #499-1). While the pose of this card alone makes it one of the most interesting images to appear in the Old Judge set, there is actually a story to this card that explains its significance. This photograph was apparently taken and included in the Old Judge set as a joke. Whitney was notorious for switching teams. Rarely has one player jumped from team to team as much as Art Whitney. Starting with the Worcester Nationals in 1880, he moved on to the Detroit Nationals in 1881, Providence in early 1882, back to Detroit late in 1882, and on to Pittsburgh of the American Association from 1884 to 1886, before moving to the Pittsburgh Nationals in 1887, and then to New York in 1888 and 1889. Between 1890 and his last season in 1891, he added another three teams to his resume. Whitney is posed with a dog in this photograph as a study of two extremes, with the dog representing the most loyal of all animals, and Whitney representing the opposite. This is an outstanding example of one of the most interesting of all nineteenth-century baseball cards
Lot # 3: 1916 M101-4 Sporting News #38 Ty Cobb
Superb example of this popular black-and-white card featuring the legendary Hall of Famer Ty Cobb in one of his classic poses. This is one of Cobb’s most desirable cards and it is very rarely offered! The Sporting News advertisement appears on the reverse. Though this card was issued with a blank reverse or with one of many different regional advertisements, the M101-4 set has always been referred to as issued by The Sporting News in honor of its most prominent sponsor. The offered card has superb image quality and moderate corner wear. The important advertising reverse is boldly printed. A few tiny purple ink marks and spots of surface wear are visible along the reverse and are noted strictly for accuracy. A tremendous example from one of card collecting’s most classic and popular sets.
Lot # 20: 1909-1911 T206 White Border Cy Young Portrait
Solid mid-grade T206 example of Cy Young (portrait) set against a beautiful green background. This is one of Cy Young’s most striking cards and one of the most popular cards in the entire T206 set. This example has vibrant colors, a focused image, and moderate corner wear (weaker bottom left). Boldly printed Sweet Caporal 150/30 advertising reverse
Lot # 22: 1914 T216 Kotton Tobacco Nap Lajoie Portrait
Extremely rare tobacco card of Nap Lajoie (portrait variation) from the 1914 Kotton Tobacco set. The Kotton Tobacco set shares designs with several other closely related caramel and bakery issues (E90-1 American Caramel Company, E92 Dockman & Sons, etc.) from the same era. All Kotton Tobacco cards are extremely rare, but an example of Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie is especially desirable to serious collectors. This is a particularly fascinating card in the set as it lists Lajoie as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics on the bottom. Lajoie was purchased from Cleveland by Philadelphia in January 1915. (Two variations of Lajoie with Cleveland also exist within this set.) Produced by the People’s Tobacco Co. of New Orleans, the Kotton Tobacco series was regionally issued only in the Louisiana area.
Dig into the whole auction here!
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