According to The Photographic Baseball Cards Of Goodwin & Company (1886-1890) Ed Delahanty is the fourth most scarce of the many Hall of Famers that are part of that issue. Delahanty is, of course, one of the most desirable subjects of all the 19th Century Hall of Famers; his statistical accomplishments made him one of his era's greatest players. Between 1888 and 1903 Delahanty hit .400 three times, drove in 100 runs seven times, and scored 100 runs ten. His lifetime OPS+ of 152 is enough to rank him at 31 all-time fifth among 19th Century players. But it was Delahanty's mysterious death in 1903, when he fell into Niagara Falls after being kicked off a train, that cemented his legend.

This card, checklist as #123-3, is a beauty, with a clear, well-contrasted image that shows excellent detail. Though some minor foxing can be observed on the obverse, primarily along the top edge, the card is remarkably clean, the typography dark and legible, the image well-centered. The very conservative grade assessed by PSA seems to relate to the tiniest sliver of surface abrasion on the reverse, apparently caused by the removal of some adhesive, likely due to long-ago storage in an album. The album was the saving grace of this card, however, as it also served to protect the card and prevent the photographic image from fading. The result is a wonderful example with a numerical grade that is largely irrelevant, as the card carries the appearance of a much higher-grade example.