RARE RUTH!!!...The sheer magnificence of our illustrious hobby always reaches its utmost peak when a new cardboard discovery is disclosed, and such is the case for this extremely rare PSA 2 Uncle Jacks Babe Ruth “blue tint” offering!  As of early June 2016, the COMBINED PSA & SGC population reports had only listed a meager 8 Uncle Jacks Babe Ruth examples, placing it as one of the scarcest Babe Ruth issues extant; even surpassing the obscurity level of the iconic 1914 Baltimore News Ruth for which 10 specimens are known.  Now, courtesy of a simple poker game, this amazing Ruth artifact officially surfaces as the ninth encapsulated 1933 Uncle Jacks example of the “Sultan of Swat”.   Poker game?   Yes, indeed, because our esteemed consignor’s grandfather just happened to win this card in a 1950’s poker game, in lieu of the losing player being short of some poker chips!  The story goes that his grandfather was playing in a simple card game at his friend’s house, and when that same friend had no more poker chips after a losing hand, he suggested as possible payment the Uncle Jacks Ruth card that was hanging on the wall of his man cave.  Even more ironic is that our consignor’s granddad “reluctantly” accepted the card in place of the poker chips, with his compassion for his friend eventually leading to this remarkable hobby find.   Framed and placed on a wall for many years, over time the card found its way into the hands of the consignor’s uncle (one of four sons) who just happened to be a huge sports enthusiast.  Unfortunately, when his nephew (our consignor) was away at college, the uncle passed away and by the time his nephew returned from school, the card was lost and thought to be gone forever.  When his grandmother passed away last October, the family was cleaning her room and amazingly, the card and its associated relics (wrapper, gum remnants and rare redemption coupon) were all found in a shoebox!   Now courtesy of our consignor, this world-class “Ruthian” Uncle Jacks offering enters the hobby as the ninth documented example, and a card that will surely be worshiped by its fortunate new hobby enthusiast.    As previously stated, this museum worth relic stands as only the fourth encapsulated PSA copy and along with a sole other copy, the highest of the four!  Of the nine documented specimens, the remaining five are graded by SGC (with three copies reflecting carrying higher technical assessments than this obscure PSA 2).  Rare Babe Ruth cardboard collectibles easily suffice as the hobby’s most valuable artifacts with high-end enthusiasts actively seeking the Bambino’s most eclectic issues.  From a cardboard perspective, his 1914 Baltimore News Minor League and 1916 Boston Red Sox rookie cards stand as his most desirable and valuable cards, yet the 1933 Uncle Jacks Ruth currently suffices as a scarcer issue.  Its utmost paucity level escapes even elite collectors with the expression “out of sight, out of mind” holding true, and it certainly suffices as Babe Ruth’s rarest 1930’s cardboard issue.  One of the scarcest candy cardboard treats ever manufactured are the 1933 Uncle Jacks Candy cards.  This New England regional issue was distributed in Springfield, Mass. and Newport, R.I., with gray blank backed baseball player cards, the popular Uncle Jacks, Inc. candy and a redeemable coupon (also included in this lot) all included within a see-through wax paper wrapper.  The total checklist includes 30 different subjects with each card potentially printed in blue, red, green or purple tints.  For 100 of the pink colored redeemable coupons, an individual was entitled to receive an official league ball as well as participating in a contest to win a fee trip to the 1933 World Series. Ten participants submitting the most coupons by September 15th would be declared the lucky winners. Like any 1920s or 1930s set, this issues most coveted and valuable subject is George Herman ‘Babe” Ruth who irrefutably resides as the greatest baseball player who ever lived.  The Bambino’s superlatives are seemingly infinite, consisting of his coupled batting and pitching excellence that are unparalleled by anyone who has ever played this grand old game.  Ruth’s sheer dominance both on and off the diamond transcends the game to a supernatural level, and his monumental feats will “echo for eternity”.  Regarding the card itself, the overall aesthetics easily outdistance the technical assessment that is primarily due to back remnants/soiling most likely attributed to the gum included within the pack as well as the card being affixed to a backboard when it was previously famed by the consignor’s grandfather.  Most significantly, the critical obverse side portrays solid mid-grade aesthetics, with the unique” Ruth central image reflecting spectacular contrast and vivid resolution via its splendid blue tint surface.  No other mainstream baseball card issue depicts this classic Ruth image that was first seen in the popular 1921 Baseball Magazine as an 8 x 10 print for Ruth’s avid fans.  Typical for the “Babe”, he sports a good-natured smile totally synonymous with his out-going personality with the classic image depicting near-perfect “top to bottom” centering and a favoritism towards the right edge.  Even corner wear (with a few extremely light wrinkles), no obtrusive surface flaws and relatively clean borders further support the superb obverse side eye appeal that easily surpasses the virtually negligible verso soiling.  As a final superlative, the bold blue text reading “Babe Ruth, King of Swat” near the lower right quadrant portrays extra fine clarity.  Also included in this amazing lot are the original wrapper and gum pieces as well as the ultra-rare aforementioned pink redemption coupon that resides as the sole encapsulated PSA copy (the redemption process is outlined above)!  While the splendid eye appeal is certainly one of this offering’s strong selling points, even more impressive is the card’s sheer existence with only 8 other encapsulated copies currently residing in professionally graded holders.  To reiterate, this extremely elusive Ruth Uncle Jacks Candy card stands alongside other “Holy Grail” Babe Ruth keepsakes such as his 1914 Baltimore News, 1920 Felix Mendelsohn, and 1921 Frederick Foto (just to name a few) as one of his rarest baseball card issues, with 10 or fewer less professionally graded copies extant.   We can safely say this 1933 Uncle Jacks Ruth keepsake truly stands as one of the hobby’s finest cardboard collectibles and investments!