Few prewar card issues epitomize the phrase "scarce and desirable" the way the 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bat cards do. Issued between 1886 and 1887, the "K-Bats" are CdV-sized photographic cards mounted on heavy cardboard. While some have advertising printed on the back this particular card is of the blank-backed variety. The scarcity of Kalamazoo Bats cards coupled with their desirability among advanced collectors means that they do not trade hands very often. Assembling a complete set is nearly impossible. As such even lower-grade commons routinely sell for thousands of dollars as type collectors attempt to acquire a single example for their collection. The N690 card of Athletics shortstop James "Chippy" McGarr (misspelled on the card as "McCan") are a different story entirely.  One of the rarest of all Kalamazoo Bats cards, this is one of just three known examples, including a PSA 2 specimen that sold for more than $43,000 in 2005.

This example has been graded AUTHENTIC by SGC, due to heavy trimming at the top and bottom borders.  The image of McGann is largely unaffected by the trimming, though some additional age-related wear is evident in the form of surface wrinkles and light creasing, some discoloration along the right edge, and moderate foxing on the reverse. Given its rarity, however, none of these flaws are relevant, as N690 collectors who are undertaking the impossible task of completing the set - or getting as close as possible - need this card.

We should note here that the population report on N690 cards with PSA is a tad confusing.  A little detective work with their certification numbers reveals that they group the N690 and N690-1 cabinets together in a single population report, describing all as "cabinets." Trust that the PSA-graded example is, indeed, a card and not a cabinet.  We believe we are aware of the existence of a third, ungraded McGarr in a private collection, the third of the three known examples. Regardless, an unbelievable rarity, one of the only known examples of Chippy McGarr, from this difficult issue.