Winter 2020 Catalog Auction Ending Feb 22
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2020
Graded MINT 9 by PSA. A key 1919 "Black Sox" subject. This is one of eight examples at its tier (with just two graded higher) among a total of thirty-four copies recorded in PSA's census reporting. The rare game card set from which this Joe Jackson jewel hails is referred to as the "Polo Grounds" production because the back of each card features a green-and-white photograph of a baseball game in progress at the New York venue of that name. As issued, the game included a total of 52 cards, representing 30 different players and 22 duplicates. Armed with the set's instructions, youngsters could use the cards to play an exciting game of indoor baseball. Today, the cards are avidly sought-after, career-contemporary mementos of baseball's legendary figures. The cardfronts display a black-and-white player photo plus a baseball "play" legend to determine the result of the player's action in the contest. The offered Jackson specimen is a truly superior example, boasting an attractive image of the great hitter and virtually untouched surfaces and corners. As a point of reference on value, Goldin Auctions sold a lesser-grade, PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 copy of this card for nearly $2,650 in the company's Fall 2017 auction. Gleaming Mint condition.
This is just one component in a substantial line-up of significant Joe Jackson items presented in this Winter 2020 sale. Vintage trading cards featuring "Shoeless Joe" – the most important figure involved in the forever-fascinating "Black Sox" scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series – are scarce, avidly sought-after mementos of one of baseball's legendary figures.