Grignon postcards were issued in 1907 to memorialize the Chicago Cubs'
dominant season of 1906. The set featured 16 members of the World
Champion Cubs, including four Hall of Famers. Considered scarce and
desirable today, the horizontal cards have a green background and white
border, with the central figure not being an actual player but a teddy
bear in a baseball pose. The player image is inset in the upper-right
corner, with a line of infield chatter (i.e. "Good eye, good eye")
printed in the center.
Arguably one of the most overlooked star players of the Dead Ball Era,
catcher Johnny Kling was a key part of the great Chicago Cubs Dynasty of
1906-10 which won four National League Pennants and two World Series. This postcard features his photo in the inset, and is postmarked from Chicago on January 28, 1908 on the reverse, just four months after the Cubs won their first of back-to-back World Series with Kling behind the plate.
Centering is terrific, and corners and edges are nicer than the grade, but writing on the reverse and some light staining keep this card from grading higher. Nevertheless, a very unique card, especially given the context of the time during which it was sent.
SGC has only ever graded 9 total
examples of this 1907 Grignon postcard, with only four receiving a higher
grade than the Fair 1.5 offered here of catcher John Kling.