Issued in tins of Fatima brand
cigarettes in 1913, the set we refer to as T200 today consists of 16
team photos - eight National and eight American league cards. The cards
are printed on glossy photographic paper and are subject to all manner
of condition woes due to their fragility. Though cards from the issue
appear frequently in hobby auctions, each has a varying degree of
scarcity, with some much more difficult to obtain than others.
According to the Standard Catalog, the team cards feature 369 different
players, managers, and mascots, including some of the most popular and
important figures to play the game.
Over the three-year span from 1911 to 1913, Joe Jackson’s
batting average was .392. He averaged 218 hits per season, 118 runs
scored, 42 doubles, 21 triples, 81 RBI, 34 stolen bases, and had an OPS+ of 192. These stats are even more phenomenal when you consider that 1911 was his rookie year. Joe Jackson is, of course, included in the team photo, but there are more stars than just "Shoeless Joe" who appear here.
Napoléon "Nap" Lajoie was one of baseball's first superstars and is the namesake of the Cleveland Naps. He was the third player ever to amass 3,000 career hits, has the 22nd highest batting average in baseball history, and is 24th on baseball's all-time WAR list. Jack Graney played 14 seasons before
transitioning to the broadcast booth where he became the
first former big leaguer to call a major league game. Ray Chapman, who was tragically killed by a pitch thrown by Yankees submariner Carl Mays, also appears on the card.
This Cleveland Naps team card is
graded
POOR 1 by SGC due mainly to a small tear on the bottom center through the FATIMA logo. There is some fading and discoloration along the black borders of the front, with a crease in the top right corner. Some foxing appears on the reverse.