(LOT 88)
1886 N167 Old Judge Cigarettes Tim Keefe SGC 5.5 EX+ – POP 1; Highest Graded SGC Example!
BEST OF THE BEST KEEFE!!! One of the rarest 19th century cardboard issues is the 1886 Old Judge N167 set, which included 12 different players from the popular New York Giants team. Presented here just happens to be one of the set's most prestigious subjects, the immortal Hall of Fame right-handed twirler Tim Keefe, in a miraculous SGC 5.5 EX+ holder. A bona fide POP 1 masterpiece, it proudly stands tall as the finest SGC example of its kind, with only a single PSA 7 specimen graded higher. Simply stated, any of the 12 N167 Old Judge subjects seldom surface for the taking, let alone SGC's highest graded Tim Keefe marvel. In 1886, The New York based Old Judge Tobacco Company threw its hat into the ring with regard to issuing baseball cards with their highly coveted tobacco product.

Printed on thin paper and measuring approximately 1-1/2" x 2-1/2", Goodwin & Company ultimately decided that since they were based in Manhattan, it would be a clever marketing strategy to include local Big Apple baseball heroes in their cigarette packs to promote sales. Along with the classic side portrait images affixed to the obverse sides, just as impressive are the super elaborate Goodwin & Company ad backs, a momentous treat for collectors since the hoard of 1887 Old Judge N172 cards issued a year later exhibited blank versos. The Giants had originally earned their name due to manager Jim Mutrie calling his beloved New York Gotham's team "my big fellows – my giants". The newspapers jumped on the clever "giants" nickname, and the team's name was eventually changed to the New York Giants. Along with Ewing and Ward, Keefe stands as one of the set's three most revered Cooperstown Inductees, and locating any Keefe example, let alone the sole and highest graded SGC copy, is synonymous with finding a needle in a haystack.

The legendary Keefe still stands as one of our National Pastime's greatest all-time pitchers, justified by his 342 lifetime wins and scintillating 2.63 lifetime ERA. Nicknamed "Sir Timothy" and "Smiling Tim", those 342 victories place him 10th on baseball's all-time list, and along with Kid Nichols and John Clarkson, he is considered one of the three finest 19th century pitchers. His seemingly "rubber arm" enabled Keefe to once win both games of a doubleheader in 1883, including a one-hitter in the morning and a two-hitter in the afternoon! As an irrefutable testament to his unparalleled durability, of his 594 career starts, 554 or a staggering 93% resulted in complete games, a far cry from 21st century pitchers who are now fortunate to toss six innings. His greatest season may have been 1888, when he claimed pitching's Triple Crown, winning 35 games, striking out 335 batters and posting a microscopic 1.74 ERA.

Multiple times he achieved 40 wins or better, and he arguably displayed the finest change-up of all 19th century twirlers. Similar to his world-class diamond achievements are the sensational aesthetics of this timeless classic, with the sepia-toned Cooperstown-worthy central image literally defying time via its crystal-clear clarity and impeccable contrast. Amazingly, no glaring surface flaws are evident, the excellent centering only reveals a slight favoritism towards the right edge between four blinding white borders, and the verso's unique Old Judge Cigarettes design is super clean. Accounting for the grade is even corner wear that actually emanates an eye-pleasing uniformity, with this timeless masterpiece withstanding 137 years to retain many of its original attributes. As most would agree, the overall sensational aesthetics and POP 1 highest SGC assessment have earned this card the highest hobby accolades, arguably residing as the most significant Tim Keefe cardboard keepsake on the planet!

MIN BID $7,500
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