Though he is pictured here holding a bat, Tim Keefe was one of baseball's first great pitchers.  From 1885 through 1889, Keefe never won fewer than 28 games in a season, leading the league with 35 in 1888, and leading all major leagues with 42 in 1886.  He won two of his three career ERA titles in that stretch, winning the Pitching Triple Crown in 1888.  He led the New York Giants to back-to-back World Series titles in 1888 and 1889, ending the most dominant 5-year run of his Hall of Fame career. 

Perhaps a testament to his popularity at the time, Keefe has a total of nine poses in the N172 set.  This example is remarkably well-preserved, with square corners and a crisp, clean surface.  The image quality is also exceptional, slightly light but still boasting excellent clarity. Mild glue staining on the reverse reduces the technical grade of the card, but when it comes to the N172 issue, advanced collectors are far less concerned with numerical grade than with eye appeal, and this card is at the upper end of that spectrum.