This N172 shows infielder and baseball agitator Fred Pfeffer tagging an unnamed Chicago teammate trying to reach his next base. Pfeffer played a solid all-around game, always as an excellent defender and sometimes among the league leaders in hitting. The mid-1890s saw him blacklisted for a time after trying to start a rival league and lure players away from existing NL clubs. Soon enough, the American League would succeed where he failed, kicking off a successful second league in 1901 and continuing as half of the majors to this day.

The SGC VG 3 grade reflects its strong image and moderate contrast, where even details of the city background are visible behind its dynamic tag play. Borders and centering are good by N172 standards, with an acceptable amount of corner rounding for the technical grade. While it's possible handling marks on the reverse hold it back from a higher score, they don't detract from Pfeffer's pose. The combined population reports contain 15 encapsulated examples, with a handful scoring higher than this stately version.

This card appears as #366-5's reference image on page 351 of the Old Judge photography book by Miller, Gonsowski, and Masson. Love of the Game is proud to offer several cards seen in their outstanding work of research and presentation as part of our 100+ N172 listings.