(LOT 13)
1916 M101-5 #171 Casey Stengel Rookie Card – Blank Back (SGC 5 EX) - "Pop 2"
Presented here is Hall of Famer Casey Stengel's inaugural Major League cardboard subject, the 1916 M101-5 Blank-Back "true" rookie card issue in an outstanding SGC 5 EX holder. Currently, this highly coveted offering has only been joined by a single other example, with a meager five specimens graded higher. To avoid confusion, while the 1910 T210 "red border" Stengel certainly resides as Stengel's inaugural "professional" cardboard issue (from the T210 Series 6 Blue Grass League), it does NOT qualify as his "MLB" rookie card since it is a minor league depiction of the "Old Professor". The offered example, however, reflects Stengel in his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform, unquestionably residing as Stengel's first MLB subject. Long before Casey Stengel was managing the New York Yankees dynasty, he made his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1912 campaign.

The fleet-footed outfielder would enjoy a formidable 14-year career, and was the first player to hit a World Series home run at Yankee Stadium when he stroked an "inside-the-park" homer in Game #1 of the 1923 Fall Classic. Casey ended his playing days with a respectable .284 lifetime batting average, unaware that down the road he would embark on an unprecedented tenure as the New York Yankees legendary manager. Stengel would lead the Yankees to ten pennants and seven World Championships in only 12 years, baseball's greatest managerial feat. He was loved and admired by all, and will forever be famous for his non-stop, rambling speeches called "Stengelese". His portrayal on this rookie card exhibits crystal clear focus and fine contrast, with the classic throwing image favoring the left edge. Relatively clean surfaces and four mildly worn corners consistent with the grade complete this world-class Stengel rookie memento that seldom surfaces for the taking!

MIN BID $400
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