John Clarkson was one of the first truly great pitchers in baseball history. While it's hard to argue against his 1889 Pitching Triple Crown season as being his best (49 wins, 284 Ks, 2.73 ERA), his 1885 season for the Chicago White Stockings may come close to topping it. That year, Clarkson won 53 games, going the distance in 68 of his 70 starts. He threw 10 shutouts, and struck out 308 batters in 623 innings. All of those numbers led the league, and none of them are typos. He had a 1.85 ERA, finishing third in the league behind Hall of Famers Tim Keefe (1.58) and Mickey Welch (1.66). Clarkson went on to have a Hall of Fame career, himself, finishing with 328 wins in 12 seasons.

Clarkson has seven different poses in the N172 set. This issue features the pitcher as a member of the Chicago White Stockings, holding a ball in his right hand which is extended out horizontally as his left hand rests on his left leg.

The surface of the card has some visible soiling, with dirt and tobacco stains visible especially near the top border of the front. Some creases appear, especially noticeable when looking at the card's back. The corners are very rounded, but the edges are nice for the grade, as is the centering. And the image itself is dark and bold, with the text easily legible, even after 135 years. Clarkson's dark uniform beautifully contrasts the lighter background of the card, and the scarcity of this example far outweighs any aesthetic issues of this highly sought-after issue.

SGC has only ever graded 5 total examples of this pose, with only two receiving a higher grade than the one offered here.