(LOT 1)
1903-04 W600 Sporting Life Cabinet Type 3 Mount Christopher Matthewson Uniform (Mathewson) Rookie PSA 3 VG – The Sole Type 3 Mount on the PSA Pop Chart!
RARE 1903 MATTY ROOKIE!!! Presented here is one of the immortal Christy Mathewson's most extraordinary cards, a PSA 3 VG 1903-04 W600 Sporting Life Cabinet Uniform rookie issue revealing a Type 3 Mount. Tantamount to Matty's undisputed standing as baseball's greatest Deadball Era twirler is this POP 1 memento residing as the SOLE PSA Type 3 Mount Christy Mathewson Uniform W600! While there are five PSA Uniform examples listed without a definitive Type 3 or 4 Mount, a majority if not all of these most likely portray the much more common Type 4 Mount. The prestigious turn of the century W600 Sporting Life Cabinet prototypes were issued from 1902 through 1911 by the Sporting Life weekly newspaper, measuring approximately 5" x 7-1/2".

Originally issued in transparent/glassine envelopes for three 2-cent stamps and a coupon from the Sporting Life periodical, it was revised to request a particular player for 10 cents apiece or 12 for a dollar. The earliest released 1902 cabinets portray players boasting classic portrait images in formal attire, with later issues exhibiting players in uniform. W600s were released in Type 1, 2, 3, and 4 mount formats, distinguished by their different lower border designs. This 1903-04 Type 3 Mount is validated by the absence of the "COMPLIMENTS OF" text directly above the crossed bats, with late 1902 and 1903 Type 2 Mounts including this obscure caption. It should be noted that Type 3 Mounts were first issued in August 1903, thus placing this cabinet as one of Mathewson's rookie cards (along with his inaugural January 1903 W600 Type 2 Street Clothes issue and the 1903 E107 Breisch Williams released in the late spring).

Indeed, this offering was distributed during the year that the iconic Big Six would post his first 30-win campaign while pacing the Senior Circuit with 267 strikeouts. However, it would be Matty's 1905 season that the handsome right-hander would turn the baseball world upside down via his incomparable 31 victories and microscopic 1.28 ERA, while leading the Giants to the Fall Classic. That historic World Series would see Christy elevate his grand performance to another level, besting Connie Mack's Athletics via three complete game shutouts. This unprecedented achievement prompted the legendary HOF manager to so eloquently quote in defeat: "Christy Mathewson is the greatest pitcher I ever saw. It was fun to watch him pitch when he wasn't pitching against you!" Highlighting this miraculous Cooperstown worthy W600 is the classic Benjamin Falk portrait pose also utilized on other renowned Mathewson cards, including his 1910 E103 Williams Caramel and 1911 M116 Sporting Life subjects.

Breathtaking to say the least, the resounding image reveals outstanding crystal-clear clarity, and you can literally feel the Christian Gentleman's omnipresent nature. No obtrusive flaws are evident, and while emanating mid-grade aesthetics, here are some diminutive surface imperfections, including microscopic surface abrasions situated above Matty's left ear (on his hair) as well as along the lower right frame (directly beneath the "Sporting Life" caption). The two right corners exhibit slight rounding wear consistent with the grade, and there are some faint soiling spots along the right edge and upper left border. For full disclosure, the relatively clean verso does reflect some negligible surface impressions, barely visible to the naked eye. Interestingly enough, Matty's last name along the bottom border (Matthewson) is spelled incorrectly and duly noted on PSA's label. An absolutely iconic artifact, its world-class stature is justified by this exact same offering fetching $41K two years ago, with ZERO mention of its bona fide 1903 rookie status. That said, considering the accelerated pricing spikes for baseball's greatest players over the past several years, we will let you, the sophisticated collector, ultimately determine the true worth of this spellbinding 1903 W600 Matty rookie cabinet!

MIN BID $10,000
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