(LOT 6)
1904 Allegheny Card Co. Christy Mathewson Hand-Cut PSA 5 EX – The Only Known Example on the Planet!
ONE-OF-A-KIND MATTY!!!... Presented is the rarest Christy Mathewson card extant, with this PSA 5 EX 1904 Allegheny Card Co. specimen as the only known copy on the planet! In 1904, the Allegheny Card Co. produced a 112-card boxed set including 104 National League players and eight team "ball counter" cards. This issue is believed to be the sole manufactured prototype, never distributed to the general public. (Of note, PSA's Pop Report is incorrect, listing an additional PSA 6, when there is only a single issue in existence.) Affixed to the front side is Carl Horner's portrait image of Christy Mathewson. This is one of the earliest baseball card issues of the HOF right-hander, preceded only by Matty's 1902-03 W600 Sporting Life Cabinets and 1903 E107 Breisch Williams.

Christy Mathewson's remarkable career boasts 373 lifetime wins, four 30+ win seasons, a 2.13 lifetime ERA, and a record setting three complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series. The card presents far better than its PSA 5 technical grade. Revealing robust blue hues and enclosed by a solid blue circle, the face boldly reads: "NEW YORK CLUB, NATIONAL LEAGUE, MATHEWSON, PITCHER. PLAYER CARD.", with the bright white background absent of any glaring blemishes. The outer blue frame reveals fine top-to-bottom centering while exhibiting a modest partiality towards the right edge. The fine edging and curved corners (standard corners for this prototype) are super sharp with no obtrusive creasing evident. The back's Allegheny Card Co. bold red advertisement offers a splendid two crossed bats and baseball image with an April 5, 1904 date, and "ALLEGHENY, PA. - DETROIT, MICH." text along the lower region. Far more significant than the grade is the ultra-rarity of this one-of-a-kind memento.

MIN BID $4,000
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