Easily
the most popular of all the 1920s strip card sets, the W514 set of
1919-21 features a large checklist of 120 players issued in 10-card
strips meant to be cut along dotted lines separating each card. The
result as with many strip cards are a host of off-condition cards that
were often torn rather than carefully cut, and as a result miscuts and
poorly-shorn borders are common condition flaws. The flimsy paper on
which the cards were printed is also an issue making high-grade examples
very difficult to obtain.
Hall of Famer George Sisler is the
subject
of this example, graded Good 2 (MK) by PSA.The (MK) qualifier can be explained by a stamp on the reverse which reads "OCT 10 1925" in blue ink, stamped twice, though not affecting the front. On that date, the Washington Nationals took a 2 games 1 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, which the Pirates would eventually win in 7 games. Sisler did not play in that game or in that series, as he was a member of the St. Louis Browns, so it is unclear what the significance of the date is.
While the corners on this example are rounded, for a hand cut card, both the corners and the edges are remarkably clean and consistent. The colors on the front are bold, and the image is wonderfully centered on the canvas. Regardless of the grade, the
scarcity of this issue far outweighs any perceived cosmetic flaws on
this example.
PSA has only ever graded 38 total examples of this W514,
with only thirteen receiving a higher grade than the Good 2 (MK) offered here of
St. Louis' George Sisler.