(LOT 168)
1909 – 11 T206 Fred Clarke Portrait Piedmont 150 Subjects/Factory 25 - PSA 8 NM-MT - "POP 3" Piedmont Subjects; Only One PSA Example Graded Higher for ALL Ad Backs!
PSA 8 CLARKE!!!... T206 mania continues to sweep across the hobby, with the most advanced collectors seeking some of the finest 1909-11 tobacco cards extant. One of those extremely well-preserved specimens is presented here, an outstanding PSA 8 NM-MT Fred Clarke "Portrait" Piedmont 150 Subject that has been joined by only two other PSA listed Piedmonts, and bested by a SINGLE example for ALL Ad Backs! Incredibly, this timeless masterpiece has stubbornly defied father time, retaining a majority of its original factory issued attributes over the past 114 years. Cooperstown inductee Fred Clarke batted .312 lifetime over a stellar 21-year career with both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. Additionally, he managed both the Louisville and Pittsburgh clubs from 1897-1915, racking up over 1,600 wins and serving as the incomparable Honus Wagner's manager most of his career.

In 1909, he won his only World Series when his Pirates bested Ty Cobb's Tigers in a tightly contested seven-game match, and synonymous with that historical event, is this remarkable offering that likewise depicts championship caliber. Clarke's ultra-desirable classic Carl Horner portrait pose depicts brilliant facial tints, contrast and focus, ably assisted by a near-flawless crimson red background. The well-positioned image only modestly favors the upper right edges between four absolutely blinding white borders. Additional superlatives include a gleaming obverse side surface, razor sharp corner tips, no notable surface flaws, and a bold midnight blue Piedmont 150 Subjects ad back. Indeed, this seemingly pack-fresh tobacco card has withstood the test of time, proudly existing as one of the premier T206 Fred Clarke portrait examples and only bested by a single PSA 8.5 specimen!

MIN BID $2,500
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