James Milton Burns played only three years of professional baseball, including 149 games across the 1888 and 1889 seasons for the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. His stats in his short career were impressive, batting .304 with 196 hits, 23 doubles, 11 triples, 5 home runs, 101 RBI, and 116 runs scored over those 149 games for Kansas City. He also stole 62 bases for the Cowboys. Despite his brief career, Burns has nine different cards in the N172 set. This example - depicting the outfielder holding his bat at a 45-degree angle, ready to strike the ball in frame - has the lowest graded population of the seven, with this being the only example they have assessed.

The image on this one is great, with the painted end cap on the bat clearly visible. KANSAS CITY is bold and beautiful on Burns' uniform, with the contrast making it easy to appreciate the image. The text at the bottom of the card is clear and legible, as well. Some chipping along the right side and four imperfect corners keep this card from grading even higher than it already has, but the eye appeal of this card is far more important than the technical grade.