The N173 Old Judge issue has long been one of our favorite cabinet card series.  Issued by Goodwin & Co. between 1888 and 1889 as a premium, the cards were made available by exchanging coupons found in Old Judge or Dogs Head cigarettes and featured large black-and-white photographs (often the same poses found on the N172 Old Judge cards), typically pasted to pale yellow cardboard mounts with gold leaf lettering and blank backs.  As is the case with most cabinet cards, the N173 issue is condition-sensitive, often found with considerable wear, scrapbook remnants on the reverse, or pinholes where the cards were tacked to the walls of young 19th Century baseball fans' bedrooms.  For most collectors, the idea that the N173 issue contains a number of images that are among the best-known of all 19th Century baseball photos.  This card, picturing Hall of Fame catcher King Kelly, is one of them.  A stunning, freshly-graded example with minimal wear, this example is one of the finer that we have encountered.  The image is crisp and well-defined, with exceptional contrast.  Light surface wear is evident, as is some very minor foxing around the edges on the reverse.  A gorgeous card, and an absolutely essential component of any quality collection of 19th Century cards.