(LOT 718)
1911 T205 Cy Young Sweet Caporal (SGC NM 7) - "1 of 2"; Only One SGC Example Graded Higher!
While all Hall of Fame members merit some sense of baseball immortality, only a handful of these stars can really be considered a baseball icon. Such a player's stratospheric accomplishments not only surpass statistical expectations, but provide a path of excellence for thousands who follow in their glorious footsteps. Cy Young, the legendary author of baseball's unbreakable record of 511 lifetime victories, certainly falls in this iconic class to the extent that baseball's annual award for pitching excellence will carry his name forever. Coincidently, his representation on this miraculous T205 Gold Border SGC "NM 7" offering is worthy of a hollowed stature reserved for only a few existing cards. Currently, only a single other copy has achieved this lofty assessment with only a sole example graded higher!

The 1911 T205 Gold Border Tobacco cards are widely considered among the most artistically ornate cards ever issued due to their gold embossed borders, unique color hues and baseball diamond designs. Unfortunately, the negative aspect of these majestic gold frames is their condition sensitivity, with serious flaking and/or surface loss an almost common occurrence. For that reason alone, high grade set collectors actively pursue near mint specimens with this painstaking search a seemingly never-ending conquest. No baseball player could possibly receive a greater honor than have an award named after him, the ultimate compliment to a player's lifetime achievements. Yet, when you consider that Denton "Cy" Young won 511 baseball games, pitched over 7,000 innings, won over 20 games fifteen times and 30 games five times, it was a "no-brainer" when the baseball writers of America chose his name to eternally represent the annual pitching excellence award.

Considering his incomprehensible statistical achievements, it is only fitting that within the hobby, there still lies a majestic cardboard keepsake worthy of his legacy. This offering is certainly that card, providing the collector with extraordinary eye pleasing qualities consistent with its original release date some 106 years ago. Young's classic T205 lithographic portrait is virtually pristine, such that it portrays an almost eerie lifelike aura via its depth perceptive facial hues. The ornate green baseball diamond, robust orange/red background and stylish baseball equipment all render immaculate color quality, and while the image does favor the right edge, the four breathtaking gold borders "steal the show".

We simply cannot overemphasize the significance of a T205 card exhibiting near-flawless borders that, for this specimen, join at four right-angled corners. The super clean Sweet Caporal Cigarette verso compliments the immaculate obverse qualities, completing one of the most astounding T205 specimens extant. It is unfathomable to imagine this card's overall aesthetics possibly surpassing Young's pitching feats, yet gazing at this museum worthy masterpiece would make any advanced enthusiast second that notion!

MIN BID $2,500
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