Lot # 5: Incredible 1887 N172 Old Judge Cigarettes "Old Hoss" Radbourn (HOF) - PSA NM+ 7.5 - Highest Graded!

Category: Featured Items

Starting Bid: $5,000.00

Bids: 19 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring, 2023 Premier Auction",
which ran from 4/9/2023 12:00 PM to
4/29/2023 9:00 PM



Extraordinarily sharp and clean example of Hall of Famer "Old Hoss" Radbourn, one of six different poses of the great pitcher featured in the N172 Old Judge issue.  Freshly graded from a Love of the Game submission, this is by far the highest-graded example of this pose assessed by PSA (the next highest grade is VG 3).  In fact, of all the N172 Radbourn cards graded by PSA, just one example - a sole PSA 8 - has graded higher than this.  

High-grade N172 cards are exceedingly rare.  This card is in the 98th percentile of all the examples graded by PSA; only 87 individual cards have graded higher, of more than 6,500 cards assessed.  That the card pictures a Hall of Famer - and one of the issue's most desirable Hall of Famers, no less - suggests that calling this card one of the most important individual Old Judge cards in existence is not auction hyperbole.  It is a statement of fact.  

The card itself is stunning.  It is sharp and clean, with a crisp, well-defined image that boasts strong contrast.  Well-centered, the corners are sharp with very light touches, and the reverse is clean.  Radbourn's cards are extremely desirable; he remains one of the most popular players of his era among today's hobbyists.  Simply a spectacular card, the finest Old Judge we have ever offered.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This card was freshly graded, as it was consigned to us ungraded a few months before this auction.  We submitted it to PSA for grading ourselves, it was graded and shipped back to us in early January, 2023.

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