Auction Name: 2026 January 30 - 31 Winter Sports Card Catalog Auction

Lot Number: 80010

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/50082*80010

1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson PSA Good+ 2.5. Standing shoulder to shoulder next to the names Cobb, Wagner, and Jackson is the Washington Senators' mound master Walter Johnson. So accomplished was his career that he was one of the first five players to be inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1936. A Connecticut arms laboratory recorded Walter Johnson's fastball at 134 feet per second. That is equal to ninety-nine miles per hour, a speed the lanky farmboy was somehow able to generate with a smooth sidearmed motion that baffled and certainly terrified opposing batters. In the blink of an eye... it was over. New York Highlanders outfielder Birdie Cree provided his own methodology for handling Johnson's speed: "When you see the arm start forward, swing." It was said that, "...[Johnson was] the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field." And this quote comes from the hardened Ty Cobb in 1907 when Walter was a mere rookie "fresh off the farm" as they say. He was a tall and unassuming sight on the mound... until he threw his fastball which was usually over 90 mph. His 3,500+ strikeouts and 417 victories proved the irascible Cobb's words rather prophetic.

Graded PSA Good+ 2.5. Widely considered to be Johnson's rookie, as no other cards dedicated to him conclusively predate this issue, this card is likewise the most valuable entry in the T204 set. The Ramly series is far more scarce in general than any of the other major tobacco sets issued during the period, and Johnson remains one of its most elusive residents. One finds only light corner blunting and is free of heavy, unsightly creases while showing multiple wrinkles. With no shortage of aesthetic appeal, this solid example of this classic card deserves high ranking in any vintage collection.

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