(LOT 250)
1932 U.S. Caramel #26 Lou Gehrig SGC 4.5 VG-EX+
GEHRIG CARAMEL TREAT!!!... One of the most underrated and obscure Lou Gehrig cards ever manufactured is the 1932 U.S. Caramel Gehrig subject. The somewhat scarce 1932 U.S. Caramel set is certainly one of the more nebulous Caramel issues, and the last major Caramel set ever distributed. Along with Babe Ruth, its most prestigious subject is the immortal Yankees first baseman, Henry Louis Gehrig, and it is his 1932 U.S. Caramel card presented here in an outstanding SGC 4.5 VG-EX+ holder. Seldom surfacing at this mid-grade plateau, it currently stands as the SOLE SGC 4.5 specimen, with a meager 14 examples graded higher. The significantly underrated U.S. Caramel Gehrig is synonymous with Lou taking a backseat to Ruth most of his career. Consider its scant existence versus the abundant 1933/'34 Goudey Gehrig's that are now achieving staggering pricing upticks. At the time this was written, there was only 47 Caramel Gehrig's encapsulated by SGC, with an abundant 1,800 SGC Goudey Gehrig's for all four subjects issued in 1933 and 1934 (an average of some 450 per subject!). Simple math tells us that the 1932 U.S. Caramel Gehrig SGC population is only 10% of a single Iron Horse Goudey subject, substantiating why this superb SGC 4.5 example is a momentous offering.

All prominent baseball historians agree that Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig is the greatest 1st baseman who ever graced a baseball diamond. Unfortunately for Gehrig, rather than his incomparable batting accomplishments including a remarkable 13 consecutive RBI seasons and .340 lifetime batting average, he is best remembered for his tragic illness and "Luckiest Man on The Face of The Earth" speech that will forever be classified as baseball's "Gettysburg Address". His beloved persona and iconic stature have triggered hobbyists to relentlessly pursue his rarest cardboard artifacts with this offering certainly near the top of the list. Super popular with collectors is the stoic Gehrig portrait image and a striking red background that reveal pack-fresh attributes, with the relatively well-centered illustration only reflecting modest partiality towards the left edge. Providing additional desirability is the "Henry (Lou) Gehrig" caption situated directly above his head since nearly all of Gehrig's cards did not utilize his "Henry" birth name. Accounting for the assessment is lower corner wear, and no glaring surface flaws are evident on either side. Most advanced enthusiasts would surely agree that the price tags for this significantly undervalued "highest graded example" will continue soaring like an ICBM missile, with one particular SGC 5 specimen fetching a staggering $38K in December 2021!

MIN BID $5,000
_