John Montgomery Ward won 164 games in just 7 years as a pitcher, after which he became primarily a shortstop and second baseman.  He collected more than 2,100 hits, scored more than 1,400 runs, and stole 540 bases in his Hall of Fame career.  Ward acted as player/manager in eight different seasons, and was an integral part of the New York Giants winning back-to-back World Series in 1888 and 1889, collecting 26 hits, stealing 16 bases, and scoring 14 runs in the two series combined.

With nine different poses in the N172 issue, this one is a handsome portrait of New York's shortstop and captain, looking left while dressed in formal street clothes.  The card has been graded PR 1 by SGC, owing primarily to tape and adhesive staining on the reverse, along with an area of discoloration along the bottom edge. The image of Ward itself boasts strong contrast and detail, an outstanding card of a key Hall of Famer.