William G. Gleason was a tough player in the early days of the game. Will lead the league in games played in two of his first four seasons, leading all major leagues in Hit By Pitches in 1885. The next year, he helped the St. Louis Browns defeat the Chicago White Stockings 4 games to 2 in the World Series. Gilmore has five different poses in the N172 set. This example - depicting the Philadelphia Shortstop at the plate, with his bat at the ready, looking directly into the camera - has the lowest graded population of the five.

The image on this card is fantastic, and shows you just how intimidating it must have been to be a pitcher in those days. Gleason displays his split-handed grip, and well-built frame, as he awaits the pitch. The photo has been developed wonderfully, allowing the contrast of the light and dark printing to really show. The text at the bottom of the card is dark and bold. Rounded corners and soft edges hurt a little. There is a crease running horizontally across the card at Gleason's chest level, and some light paper loss on the back toward the bottom, which does not affect the front. Both contribute to the lower technical grade, though the image clarity and contrast are both quite strong.