The Breisch-Williams E107 set of 1903 is important because it was the
first major baseball card set of the 20th Century. Featuring sharp,
black-and-white photographic images, the E107 set contains approximately
150 subjects and has become a popular set among advanced collectors due
to the number of Hall of Fame rookie cards (Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, etc.), along with the overall
scarcity of the set.
High-grade E107s are virtually nonexistent, with
very few examples graded at the EX/MT level or better by either grading
company. The cards are frequently found damaged and torn, with front
and back images typically suffering from wrinkling, staining, paper
loss, and scrapbook damage. In fact, approximately half the graded
population of E107s have been assessed at a level of 2 or lower.
This example of Brooklyn shortstop Bill Dahlen has been graded Poor 1 by SGC due to heavy creasing, surface wear, and heavily worn corners and edges. There is some light purple staining on the front near the top and bottom borders, and more prominent on the reverse, as well. The rarity of 1903 E107 Breisch-Williams cards make each example highly
desirable; the fact that few are available in higher grades means that
any specimen is in high demand.
SGC has only ever graded 5 total examples of this E107, with only three receiving a higher grade than the Poor 1 offered here of Brooklyn's Bill Dahlen.