(LOT 35)
"Unique for the Grade" 1909 Dockman & Sons Honus Wagner Throwing Version PSA 7 NM – "POP 1"; Highest Graded Example!
"ONE OF A KIND" HONUS!!!... Imagine the odds of being dealt a clubs or spades playing card reflecting a red hue versus the suit's standard black color? Impossible, to say the least, would be the obvious answer for this fictitious scenario that is virtually synonymous to finding a century-plus old baseball candy "E" card retaining a majority of its original pack-fresh condition. Yet, courtesy of Memory Lane, this absolutely miraculous PSA 7 NM E92 Dockman & Sons Honus Wagner "Throwing" heirloom has somehow managed to rightfully earn its unique assessment. Is it truly feasible that an ultra-condition sensitive 114-year-old baseball card typically handled by careless kids could possibly reflect a PSA 7 grade? The response is YES, with this extraordinary offering standing as the sole example at this hallowed plateau, and the highest graded specimen on the combined PSA and SGC Pop Charts!

Indeed, not a single E92 Dockman Wagner "Throwing" or "Batting" version has managed to achieve or surpass this unfathomable PSA assessment, that like the immortal Wagner's undisputed title as baseball's greatest all-time shortstop, proudly stands alone at the top of every population report. While there are a reasonable number of high-grade "T" tobacco cards in circulation (since these cards were handled by adults purchasing cigarettes), the near-mint or better quantity of their caramel counterparts is few and far between as a result of youths handling these cards enclosed with their candy purchases at local mom & pop stores. This in itself ultimately led to the conundrum of the hobby's most meticulous collectors floundering in a seemingly endless search for the scant supply of existing "E" cards reflecting lofty assessments.

Historically speaking, the John Dockman & Sons Gum Co. included 50 different baseball card subjects with their brand product issued during the 1909 season. This would be the year that the iconic Wagner would win his first and only world championship, besting Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers in a tightly contested seven-game series. By 1909, Honus Wagner had established himself as our National Pastime's greatest player, and while a young Ty Cobb was quickly narrowing the gap, it was the Flying Dutchman who still ruled the grand old game. Going into the 1909 season, Wagner had already compiled six NL batting titles, with his .339 average in 1909 good enough to once again pace the Senior Circuit and lead Pittsburgh to their inaugural World Series title.

Hans would win his eight-batting title two years later, eventually retiring with a stellar .328 mark, and the undisputed title of "baseball's greatest all-time shortstop". Similar to that distinction is this unprecedented masterpiece that has outdistanced all of its inferior peers. The renowned Wagner throwing pose reveals a sparkling array of blue, orange, green and yellow hues that are the highlight of its brilliant background. You can literally feel Wagner's intensity as he has completed a throw across the infield via his mighty right arm, with the classic image depicting atypical excellent centering between four snow white borders. Strong right-angled corners, relatively clean surfaces, and crystal-clear clarity all support the jaw dropping assessment, with an imposing "JOHN H. DOCKMAN & SONS" ad back the final exclamation point for a candy card treat that has stubbornly defied father time.

With a VG-EX example fetching $13K nearly a year ago (there is no recent benchmark pricing for high-grade examples because they simply don't exist), we cannot even fathom the true value of this "POP 1" highest graded offering, especially considering all rare "E" cards are currently experiencing an unbridled tipping point with regard to their tsunami-like pricing points. That said, we will let the most esteemed hobbyists wage battle for this unparalleled memento that would even impress the legendary racehorse Secretariat, with Big Red's incredible 31-length 1973 Belmont Stakes win truly tantamount to the once in a lifetime stature of this pinnacle PSA 7 Wagner!

MIN BID $10,000
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