Skip to main content
Go to accessibility options

Description

1888-89 N173 Old Judge Cabinet Harry Wright SGC 60 EX 5. Wright's contributions to the early development of our national pastime place him right alongside Cartwright and Doubleday as one of baseball's most noteworthy pioneers. He was the founder and center fielder of the the first professional ball club, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, invented the box scoring system, designed the standard baseball uniform and was the first to direct his defense to shift in relation to hitters' tendencies. Overstatement is nearly impossible when contextualizing the significance of Wright within baseball history at large.

But while this fact is crystal-clear in retrospect, the scant few collectors of the inimitable N173 Old Judge issues during its two years of production were not so well-informed. Larger and considerably more expensive to produce than the standard trading card fare that was distributed within cigarette packs, the N173 Cabinets were available only by redeeming a coupon through the mail, an obstacle that discouraged all but the most fervent collectors and greatly limiting the population relative to other contemporary issues. Quite understandably, those intrepid hobbyists tended to bypass the white-bearded manager for the cards celebrating active star players like Cap Anson and Mike "King" Kelly, resulting in populations today that far exceed Wright representations. In fact, only four Harry Wright examples appear within the joint population reports of PSA and SGC.

Graded SGC 60 EX 5. Our offered example ranks highly within this microscopic population with just one graded higher. Wonderfully well-preserved, this fantastic relic, although rated at the middle of the hobby grading scale, with the the overwhelming majority of the issue found in the lower half of the grading spectrum we find nothing average including a central portrait that boasts a wide range of tones and very fine details. This is nothing short of an exciting opportunity for the advanced 19th century collector.


Auction Info

Auction Dates
July, 2020
30th-31st Thursday-Friday
Internet/Mail Bids: 15
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 851

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.

Sold on Jul 30, 2020 for: $15,000.00
Track Item