From Collins-McCarthy, the company which offered the long run of
Zeenuts cards, this 1917 set now known as E135 offered 200 new subjects.
While the company had been known for producing cards featuring players
of the Pacific Coast League, the E135 set switched
their focus to the National and American Leagues. Produced at a time
when few
sets were being issued, it gave collectors and baseball fans on the West
Coast a look at players they had only read about in the newspapers or
in
the annual Spading guides. While this set shares many photos with the
later E121 set and the much-later E126 issue (both from American
Caramel), this E135 set came first.
Centering is west on the canvas, with soft corners and edges consistent with the grade. Some light soiling, faint surface abrasions, and a crease in the upper left corner keep this one from grading even higher than it already has. A strong pose and great contrast leave the Hall of Famer with plenty of eye appeal.
SGC has only ever graded 10 total
examples of this 1917 E135, with only four receiving a higher grade than
the Good 2 offered here of Hall of Famer Harry Hooper.