Few prewar card issues epitomize the term "scarce and desirable" the way the 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats cards do. Issued between 1886 and 1887, the "KBats" 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. Tough 19th Century cards are often the passion of advanced collectors, and the KBats are among the most impressive of the era. 

This example features Philadelphia pitcher Smiling Al Maul. The scarcity of Kalamazoo Bats cards coupled with their desirability among advanced collectors means that they don't trade hands very often. Assembling a complete set is merely impossible. As such, even lower grade examples routinely sell for several thousand dollars. Beyond the scarcity, though, this is an attractive card.

Maul is pictured on the field with his hands at the set position with a baseball just in front of his chin, ready to throw. Very little about the image aside from Clements' cap would give away the era as the field and outfield wall are clear and very similar to the stadiums we have today.

While the card's image is slightly faded, that could be from an underdevelopment at the time of the printing, and not as a result of aging. Centering is slightly southwest on the canvas, with corners and edges consistent with the grade. Some light soiling keeps this example from grading even higher than it already has. Despite the technical grade, the scarcity of this issue far outweighs any perceived cosmetic flaws on this example.

SGC has only ever graded 8 total examples of this N690, with only four receiving a higher grade than the Good 2 offered here of Smiling Al Maul.