Cards from the N172 Old Judge issue are notoriously condition-sensitive not only due to the natural wear to which cards of this vintage were subjected over the years but due to natural fading that occurs with the photographic cards from this issue. Even the highest-grade cards from the set are often found with considerable image fading. The fading is so prevalent that grading companies do not take it into consideration - we often see N172s with Near Mint or EX-Mint grades that exhibit images so faded that they can barely be seen. Presented is the most beautiful N172 we have ever handled. Depicting pitcher Thomas Flood of the St. Joseph Clay Eaters the card has been graded NM 84 by SGC the highest assessment assigned by any grading company of any of the six different known poses of Flood in the issue. The image quality is simply incredible - well-detailed with contrast strong enough to see the glare of the studio lights on Flood's ring-style baseball bat. Further the cardstock typically seen in a dark sepia tone is a creamy off-white the brightest card from the issue we have encountered. Corners and edges are sharp and consistent within the grade. This card as well as another beautiful N172 featured in this auction were sold to a prominent hobby dealer by a non-collector at the 2016 National in Atlantic City. The universal opinion among dealers and collectors who reviewed the card at that time was that they were the finest N172s they had ever seen. We are in agreement.