Summer Premium and Catalog Auction July 31 & Aug 8
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/31/2015
Graded 88 NM/MT 8 by SGC. Hall of Famer. This is the only example at its tier (with none graded higher) among a total of twenty-four depictions of this subject recorded in SGC's census reporting.
One of 19th Century baseball's most indomitable characters, Jake Beckley compiled a storybook career that culminated in a .308 lifetime batting average and a total of 2,931 hits. During his lengthy tenure, spanning twenty years, "Eagle Eye" Beckley established a reputation as a superb batsman, a quality defender, and a star athlete who truly enjoyed his chosen sport.
A collectible treasure that's distinguished by its time of origin as well as by its remarkable state of preservation, this outstanding Old Judge was produced early in 1888 - Jake Beckley's rookie season. Beckley's likeness is seen in four different poses in N172, and this "Bat at Ready Nearly Vertical, Looking at Camera" version is quite likely the earliest. (This becomes apparent through the fact that his other images show captions acknowledging his eventual Pittsburg, N.L. affiliation. The first baseman started the year in 1888 with the Western Association's St. Louis Whites team, and moved up to Pittsburg at midseason.)
This pose of the 1971 Cooperstown enshrinee carries special significance which, unfortunately, isn't acknowledged in a thorough fashion by grading company record-keeping. The industry's two dozen SGC-holdered examples are tallied as a group, with pose identities left unspecified. PSA has certified just six Beckley N172's, in total, and none of those reflect this "Bat at Ready ..." illustration. It's fully appropriate to conclude that the offered specimen features the most desirable and elusive picture, as well as the absolute finest condition, that can be found on any Jake Beckley Old Judge known to the hobby. An incredible combination!
Aesthetically, this commemorative projects a peerless sight that's completely consistent with its SGC "1 of 1" status. A crisp and clear, sepia-toned photo of Beckley graces the obverse, its eye appeal enhanced by exceptional resolution of facial and uniform details, caption and advertising print, and studio-placed background elements. The card's borders and corners showcase fresh, uncirculated character, and the item's unprinted back concedes no marks or discoloration. This is an unquestionably elite and superior tobacco insert of an important player, in superlative Near Mint to Mint condition.