In 1908 Max Carey was in his next-to-last year of a six-year pre-ministerial program at Concordia College playing on the school"s baseball team. His career as a ballplayer still ahead of him it was not until 1909 that he joined the South Bend team in the Central League and was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1910. This oversized (14" x 10 1/4") cabinet photo depicts Carey with the Concordia team on an image that is highly sought-after among "pre-rookie" collectors. A scarce photo this image is typically seen in standard cabinet-sized format; this oversized photo is one we have not encountered before.The cardboard mount has been subject to significant wear along the edges and corners with considerable water staining along the bottom and surface wear throughout. However the mount has done its job largely protecting the photo from damage. While the photo does exhibit some wear it pales in comparison to that of the mount. Aside from some spots of wear along the edges and what appears to be a very small tear at the top the primary damage to the photo lies in small "X" marks written in pencil on the shoulder of Carey (who appears in the middle row far right) and two other players along with some very minor indentations on the left of the photo. None of these defects detract from the eye appeal of the piece to any degree. The reverse of the mount is worn similarly to the front but is devoid of any pencil markings typical of cabinet photos of this age."Pre-rookie" cards and images are among the baseball collectibles with the highest demand at this time. Here is a scarce pre-rookie image of a prewar Hall of Famer in a oversized cabinet format seldom seen in the hobby.