(LOT 23)
1911 M131 Baltimore News Newsboy Series Tris Speaker SGC 3 VG – POP 2!
RARE GRAY EAGLE!!!... In 1911, the Baltimore News issued a 30-subject set strikingly similar to the E94 George Close Candy issue. All the players and checklist numbers were exactly the same, with the first 35 boys completing the set offered a $1 prize. The difference in this ultra-rare regional issue versus the E94 candy cards is that all Baltimore News players reveal a blue background, with the back of the cards portraying a Baltimore News Newsboy Series caption. To place the rarity of these cards in perspective versus their E94 peers, the combined PSA and SGC M131 counts for all 30 subjects is a mere 88 examples, or 4%, versus the significantly higher 1,975 E94 Close Candy examples.

This particular SGC 3 VG Tris Speaker M131 Baltimore News offering just happens to be the highest graded example on the combined SGC and PSA census reports, with only seven total specimens listed in any grade! Hall of Famer Tris Speaker's batting and fielding exploits place him right alongside Cobb, DiMaggio, Mays, and Griffey, Jr., as one of baseball's greatest center fielders. The Gray Eagle's obscure batting pose (only utilized on his M131 and E94 issues) has eluded any notable flaws, encompassed by the standard powder blue M131 background. No obtrusive flaws are evident, and preventing a higher assessment are rounded corners, modest border toning, diminutive chipping along the left edge, and some diagonal wrinkles near several of the corners. The final superlative is the classic 30-subject checklist that mirrors the E94 issue, with the upper caption unique to only M131 players boldly reading: "The Baltimore News Newsboy Series."

MIN BID $1,500
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