There are three different Joe Lake cards included in the T206 set.
This version, which depicts Willis in his gray St. Louis uniform,
holding his arms above his head while wearing a glove on his left hand and holding a ball in his right hand, is the second most rare.
The blue sky dominates the background, with the lower quarter of the card utilizing a bright, bold green. These corners want to be sharp, and while they're just starting to get soft, only the bottom right has really started to become rounded and faintly creased. The centering is ever so slightly to the east on the canvas, but the bright colors and unique pose give this card tremendous eye appeal. The back is clean, with light tobacco stains present on the lower half. PSA has
only ever graded 18 total examples of this Old Mill back version of the
Lake, with
only 5 receiving a
higher grade than the VG-EX 4 offered here.
Joseph Henry Lake
went 62-90 in his MLB career. He finished in the Top 6 for most losses in 4 of his 6 seasons, leading the league with 22 in 1908.