T204 Ramly Cigarettes cards of 1909 feature a beautiful black-and-white
portrait of each player encircled in an ornate border with
the player's name and team affiliation printed at the bottom.
The cards, which are embossed and highlighted with gold ink, are extremely condition-sensitive because they are
printed on flimsy paper. The gold borders are also very
susceptible to chipping, as is the case with most gold-bordered cards.
Between the outstanding player selection and the overall beauty of the
issue, higher-grade examples from the set are extremely pricey, making
affordable specimens tough to find.
SGC has only ever graded 18 total examples of this 1909 Ramly T204, with only six receiving a higher grade than the VG-EX 4 offered here of Chicago outfielder John Anderson.
Centering is slightly east on the canvas. There is some edge wear and chipping that is so common
with the set's gold
borders, particularly in the corners. Still the card is clean and bright, with an unblemished image. The
reverse has some soiling
apparent near the bottom and right edges, not unusual for these cards,
where the
embossing can act like a dust magnet.
Attractive Ramlys are among the
most beautiful cards in the hobby, but
the eye appeal of the issue can sometimes suffer in the lower grades. This is
an extraordinary example seldom seen with this sort of visual appeal.