(LOT 139)
1909-11 T206 Brown Old Mill Sid Smith Southern Leaguer SGC Authentic
BROWN OLD MILL!!!... Save for the exalted "Ty Cobb King of the Smoking World" ad-back, no T206 advertisement is considered scarcer than a Brown Old Mill Southern Leaguer. The renowned T206 Resource website documents that notion, with the Brown Old Mill ad-back listed as the second rarest of all 39 T206 advertisements. Presented here just happens to be one of those near-impossible-to-find T206 Brown Old Mill subjects, an eye-pleasing SGC Authentic Sid Smith marvel that is one of only two documented examples! Locating any Brown Old Mill subject is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, with the T206 Resource website confirming the following 14 known Brown Old Mill Southern Leaguers: Bernhard; Foster; Greminger; Helm; Hooker; Jordan; Kiernan; Mullaney; Paige; Reagan; Revelle; Smith; Thornton; and Violat.

Most significantly, there are only one or two documented examples for each of these 14 Brown Old Mill players, placing them as the most elusive of all T206s. Regarding their inadvertent origin, one particular theory is that Brown Old Mill Southern Leaguers were issued directly after Brown Hindu subjects, whereby the Hindu brown ink was not changed to black before manufacturing the Old Mill subjects. Thus, a few Brown Old Mill examples were issued on scrapper sheets that were never factory cut and inserted into cigarette packs, resulting in Brown Old Mill subjects exhibiting manually cut edges and Authentic grades. Although this concept is certainly not a bona fide conclusion, it certainly makes the most sense, and while hobbyists may never achieve 100% resolution for the true advent of Brown Old Mill issues, their unparalleled paucity level is etched in stone.

This Sid Smith memento reveals VG aesthetics, courtesy of a well-centered and crystal-clear pose of the by-gone catcher who played five MLB seasons with the Athletics, Browns, Cleveland Naps, and Pirates. Smith's existence on this Southern League card is due to his stint with the Class A Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, with Smith ultimately playing 12 years in the minor leagues. His classic image donning his 1909 Atlanta gray flannels has retained many of its original print qualities over the past 115 years. An eye-pleasing manual cut from its original scrapper sheet, the tranquil pink and green background, and the lack of any glaring surface blemishes are the highlights of this extremely rare tobacco heirloom. Stealing the show is the miraculous BROWN OLD MILL verso that is the key aspect of this remarkable T206 treasure that, at this juncture, joins a single other specimen as the only two known examples!

MIN BID $3,000
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