The 1916 Gimbels set shares a checklist with M101-4 and is another
in a fairly long line of truly hard-to-find variants in the pool of
issues derived therefrom. The extreme scarcity of the Gimbels issue is eclipsed by only a
few of the 22 different M101-4 and M101-5 related sets produced by
Felix Mendelsohn in 1916. One of the more scarce brands associated with the M101-4 and -5 issues,
the Gimbels backs are among the few that are found in both issues. However, overall, the set is extremely scarce, and
many cards still have not made their way to either the PSA or SGC database. Hall of Famers from the issue are desirable,
regardless of condition, with the top-tier Hall of Famers commanding
significant premiums.
Offered here is the Rookie Card of one such Hall of Famer, Eppa
Rixey, Jr., who is depicted on this example as a member of the
Philadelphia Phillies. Rixey spent the first 8 years of his career in
Philadelphia, winning 87 games, but missing the 1918 season to serve in
the military during WWI. He spent his final 13 seasons with the Reds,
adding 179 more wins to his resume, finishing with 266 in his
Cooperstown-worthy career.
This card is centered nicely on the canvas, though some
minor diamond cutting leaves the top right corner just a hair higher
than the left. Corners and edges are sharp for the grade, and while the black printing on the card's reverse is dark and bold, it has bled through in spots on the front (particularly evident toward the bottom of the image), keeping this one from grading even higher than it already has. While there are some surface abrasions on the image, as well, the scarcity of this issue far outweighs any cosmetic
flaws on this example.
SGC has only ever graded 2 total
examples of this 1916 Gimbels, with only ONE receiving a higher grade than the
Good+ 2.5 offered here of Hall of Famer Eppa Rixey, Jr.