(LOT 631)
1911 T205 Walter Johnson Piedmont Cigarettes (SGC NM 7) - "1 of 1 Piedmont's" - HIGHEST GRADED Walter Johnson Piedmont Cigarettes Example on the SGC Pop Chart!
WALTER JOHNSON!!! This miraculous T205 Gold Border Walter Johnson SGC "NM 7" Piedmont Cigarettes offering has stubbornly defied "Father Time", easily meriting its hallowed near mint assessment that places it as the SOLE and HIGHEST GRADED Piedmont Cigarettes T205 Johnson on the SGC census report! Ironically, with most historians placing Walter Johnson at the top of their lists as baseball's greatest pitcher ever, synonymous with that distinction is this "best of the rest" Piedmont offering that has only been surpassed by 3 meager examples when taking into consideration all possible T205 Johnson cigarette ad backs. Due to their extremely condition sensitive gold borders that were subjected to significant flaking/wear, finding ANY near-mint T205 specimen is an excruciating task, let alone one that represents the finest pitcher who ever toed a rubber.

Unfathomable to say the least, it paradoxically separates itself from virtually all of its peers in a similar manner as the "Big Train's" pitching exploits have placed him at a level so far beyond our National Pastime's seemingly infinite list of inferior hurlers. From a statistical perspective, Johnson's achievements have earned him sole bragging rights as the finest all-time twirler, starting with his modern-day record of 417 victories, a staggering amount considering he pitched for a weak second division team most of his storied career. His A.L. dominance included 3 Pitching Triple Crowns (1913, 1918, 1924), 5 E.R.A. titles, 6 times leading the league in victories and an unbelievable 12 strikeout titles! At the end of his incredible career, he amassed more than 3,500 strikeouts, posted a microscopic 2.17 lifetime E.R.A., and most amazingly, a record 110 of his 417 victories were via the shutout route (including 38 "1-0" victories).

Strongly consistent with Johnson's supreme status as baseball's greatest pitcher are the world-class technical attributes of this "best of the rest" masterpiece. Of utmost significance, we draw your immediate attention to the gold embossed borders that have defiantly managed to retain virtually all of their original factory issued gold hues, with the exception of only some microscopic-like wear at the utmost corner tips. Additional technical qualities supporting the scarce near-mint assessment include an immaculate-like Walter Johnson stoic portrait image, fine centering that somewhat favors the lower left edges, super clean surfaces, corners that have retained nearly all of their original factory issued right-angle formations, and a bold blue Piedmont Cigarettes ad back. In closing, the overall eye appeal of this extraordinary heirloom strongly supports its "1 of 1" Piedmont grade and similar to the "Big Train" himself, it proudly stands tall as the "king of the hill"!

MIN BID $1,750
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