Edward Nagle "Ned" Williamson played for Chicago's National League team from 1879 to 1889, at one point leading the league in games played, doubles, home runs, and walks, all in separate seasons. His 27 home runs in 1884 was the only season in his 13-year career which saw him finish with a double-digit total. Williamson has at least seven different poses in the N172 set. This issue depicts the Chicago Shortstop in a dark uniform with his hands cupped, facing upward at chest height, while he waits to catch an approaching ball.

There isn't much you could possibly improve about this card. Centering is slightly west on the canvas, but corners and edges are sharp. The printing is beautiful, with terrific contrast and plenty of clear detail. Some very faint edge chipping beginning on the right side is really the only other thing which could be keeping this card from grading even higher than it already has. A rare example of an Old Judge where the technical grade and image quality match, the grade makes the card a rarity despite the card not being particularly scarce. In fact, of the more than 12,660 cards from this set which SGC has graded over the years, only 127 (1%) have ever received a higher grade than this Ned Williamson.