Issued in 1911 by the Los Angeles confectioner Bishop & Company, the set we know today as "E100" was the company's second baseball card issue.  The cards showcase important players from the Pacific Coast League, with black and white photos of each subject set against a variety of colored backgrounds, with cards found with blue, green, purple, red or yellow backgrounds.  The backs contain a checklist, with five players from each team included in the set.  The cards are differentiated by a notation of the manufacturer on the reverse.  The cards are exceptionally scarce today; it is unusual for a hobby auction to include more than a card or two from the issue. 

Offered here is a "type 1" version of Vernon's Ham Patterson. Centering is very nice on this one, with only a slight registration issue causing the illusion of very faint diamond cutting. Soft corners and edges are consistent with the grade, while we can see some product staining visible on the front. A light crease near the center of the bottom keeps this one from grading even higher than it already has, but the red of the background is bright, and the image of Patterson is superb. The checklist reverse has survived wonderfully, with only some faint soiling on the reverse.

PSA has only ever graded 12 total examples of this Type 1 E100, with only four receiving a higher grade than the VG 3 offered here of Ham Patterson.