(LOT 20)
1916 M101-4 Herpolsheimer Co. #87 Joe Jackson PSA 6 EX-MT – POP 1 & The Highest Graded Example on Any Professional Grading Service Pop Chart!
HIGHEST GRADED SHOELESS JOE!!! The 1919 Black Sox scandal has solidified Joe Jackson's unparalleled legacy for eternity, yet there is so much more to this baseball giant. His batting excellence, evident by his .356 lifetime average, the "Shoeless Joe" nickname achieved when he played without shoes due to painful blisters, his renowned "Black Betsy" bat covered in tobacco juice, the classic "Say it Ain't So Joe" phrase blurted out by an admiring youngster as Jackson left the courtroom, and the highly celebrated "Field of Dreams" movie are all sound testaments to his immortal standing. Due to his banishment from baseball for allegedly gambling on the 1919 World Series against the Reds, there are very few mainstream cards of the iconic Jackson. One of the few Jackson subjects issued during his playing days is his majestic 1916 M101-4 Herpolsheimer memento, presented here in a spectacular PSA 6 holder.

An ultra-rare POP 1 masterpiece, it stands as the sole PSA example on their illustrious census report, with SGC only listing two inferior specimens! In early 1916, the Chicago based Felix Mendelssohn publishing company issued a prestigious 200-subject M101-5 blank back set. Various companies later utilized this set's checklist for their own marketing purposes, including additional M101-5 and M101-4 issues, with the Herpolsheimer Co. being one of the later-issued M101-4 compilations revealing a slightly different checklist. Joe Jackson's remarkable hitting prowess was established long before his 1916 M101 subjects were nationally distributed. After joining Connie Mack's Athletics in 1908, it was clear to Mack that Jackson was not going to flourish in a big city environment, eventually trading this country bumpkin to Cleveland after only 41 plate appearances in two uneventful seasons in Philadelphia.

Once called up from the minor leagues in 1910, Jackson finally unleashed his unparalleled batting skills with Cleveland, batting a robust .387 the remainder of the season. It all came together for Shoeless Joe from 1911 through 1913, when the prolific batsman posted consecutive averages of .408, ,395 and .373 respectively. After playing in 83 games with Cleveland in the 1915 campaign, Jackson was shockingly traded to the Chicago White Sox, where he finished the year with a .308 batting average. In his first full 1916 season in the Windy City, Shoeless Joe would not disappoint his ardent Chicago fans, posting a sensational .342 average. Unfortunately for Jackson, his career was tragically cut short when he was banned from baseball forever for allegedly taking part in throwing the 1919 World Series, yet due to the infamous Black Sox Scandal, his popularity has increased profoundly.

The outstanding aesthetics commence with the classic Jackson follow-through swinging pose (also utilized on his exalted Cracker Jack subject), depicting fine contrast and sparkling clarity as he seemingly connects on what is most likely another scalding line drive. The legendary image reveals a negligible partiality towards the lower edge, with a likewise irrelevant diminutive tilt towards the upper left edge. Relatively clean surfaces, including the critical Herpolsheimer Co. ad back, have eluded any glaring flaws, with subtle corner wear preventing a higher assessment. Prices for Joe Jackson's 1916 M101 cards continue to skyrocket at a meteoric rate, with two December 2023 sales including a PSA 4.5 M101-4 Gimbels fetching a lofty $78,000 and a PSA 7 M101-4 Blank Back breaching the six-figure mark. Tantamount to Shoeless Joe's unparalleled stature comes along this PSA 6 undisputed finest of its kind masterpiece, strikingly similar to Jackson's hallowed legacy that will surely echo for eternity!

MIN BID $15,000
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