Known by many as the ringleader of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, Charles "Chick" Gandil broke into pro baseball in 1908. After failing to make the St. Louis Browns in 1909, Gandil refused to report to their minor league affiliate, eventually landing on Sacramento's team in the Pacific Coast League. Gandil had a strong season in the PCL and was sold to the Chicago White Sox where he hit a paltry .193 in 310 plate appearances in 1910.

He hit his stride with Montreal of the Eastern League and returned to the major leagues with Washington in 1912. From there, he developed a reputation as an excellent fielding first baseman with some pop in his bat before ultimately caving in to the temptation of throwing the 1919 World Series.

Presented here is an attractive, affordable example of Chick's first card: a 1909 T212 Obak Cigarettes issue depicting Gandil with the Sacramento Solons. From the toughest of the three years Obak issued cards, this example exhibits overall wear consistent with the grade but the card still boasts a strong presentation. While there is creasing toward the the lower half and in the bottom left corner, the primary condition flaw is clearly the writing on the back near the top. "Black Socks" was written in cursive first in pencil, then traced over with blue pen by a previous owner. The ink does not bleed through to the front in any way, leaving the card with great eye appeal despite that flaw on the back. A classic card from a popular and beautiful issue, SGC has only graded 8 Gandils higher than this one.