Goldin Elite Auction Ending May 22-23
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/22/2021
This lot closes on May 22nd, 2021 at 10:00 PM EDT for initial bids.
Graded MINT 9 by PSA. Hall of Famer. "Piedmont - 150 Subjects/Factory No. 25" back. Among a total of 111 copies in this configuration recorded in PSA’s census reporting, just one specimen of the Lajoie/Throwing design has achieved MINT 9 status, and none has been graded higher.
In the days before Ty Cobb, Napoleon Lajoie was the best hitter in baseball. He won the Triple Crown in 1901, and took five consecutive batting crowns from 1901 through 1905. Lajoie was so popular with the fans in Cleveland that from 1903 to 1913 the team was called the "Naps" in his honor. Nap Lajoie's singular status is incontestable, and suitably elite trading card commemoratives of this renowned ballplayer remain excruciatingly difficult to obtain.
The offered T206 card, though, presents as one of those very rare, wholly fitting tribute pieces. Most conspicuously definitive about this tobacco insert is the term Mint – and all that the word stands for – that has been justifiably ascribed to it. The card puts forth the ultimate in factory-fresh character, with precisely machined edges, impeccable centering and an image that's flawlessly sublime in appearance. The item’s reverse side is resolutely inked in its series' "Piedmont" cigarette-branding design. In every respect, a great player is honored here by a great collectible. Nap Lajoie reached the pinnacle of his craft. So, too, did the American Tobacco Company, in the production of this truly Mint condition Lajoie depiction.