Few prewar card issues epitomize the term "scarce and desirable" the way the 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats cards do. Issued between 1886 and 1887, the "KBats" are CdV-sized photographic cards mounted on heavy cardboard. While some have advertising printed on the back, this particular card is of the blank-backed variety. Tough 19th Century cards are often the passion of advanced collectors, and the KBats are among the most impressive of the era. 

The scarcity of Kalamazoo Bats cards coupled with their desirability among advanced collectors means that they don't trade hands very often. Assembling a complete set is merely impossible. As such, even lower grade examples routinely sell for several thousand dollars. Beyond the scarcity, though, this is a gorgeous card.

One of few multi-subject cards in the set, this example has been the subject of a great deal of confusion for quite some time - even erroneously identified in the tag of the SGC holder. The subjects identified on the card are outfielder Harry Lyons, who played one game with the 1887 Philadelphia Quakers, being attended to by team trainer Tom Taylor. It has been determined, however, that Lyons is misidentified on the card, and the subject is actually pitcher Jim Devlin.

While the card's image is slightly faded, that could be from an underdevelopment at the time of the printing, and not as a result of aging. Centering is slightly west on the canvas, with soft edges consistent with the grade. Minor damage to each of the corners, with some light creasing and paper loss, combined with faint soiling, keeps this example from grading even higher than it already has. Despite the technical grade, this is an extraordinary example seldom seen with this sort of visual appeal.

SGC has only ever graded 7 total examples of this N690, with only ONE receiving a higher grade than the Very Good 3 offered here of the two men.