It's instructive to see a batter like Dave Orr, who showed superlative skill and great power at the plate, using a split batting grip that has gone the way of the dodo, at least for serious modern hitters. Orr, on the other hand, knocked 350 extra-base hits and averaged almost 90 RBIs across six seasons, swinging a stick like this. One of the great hitters of his era, Orr posted a .342 lifetime batting average, and batted .371 in his one year in the Player's League, where he faced most of the National League's best players. His career ended tragically at just 31 years old, when he suffered a stroke while playing in an exhibition game. The stroke left him paralyzed on his left side.

 This SGC VG 3 grade reflects Orr's solid central image and balanced technical features, with moderate corner rounding, decent centering, and light edge wear around its borders. Stars of this era tend to stack up a number of poses, and Dave topped out at seven, including a displayable cabinet card. The combined population report shows five graded examples in all, with this rating the highest of three encapsulated by SGC. A stately and respectable monument to a great hitter of his day.