Lefty John Roach assumed an unusual "very afraid" expression for this #387-5 pose, perhaps anticipating how his one appearance as a New York Giant (and major leaguer) would be a 17-run thumping at the hands of the Phillies as a 19-year-old rookie in 1887. He went on to play pro ball until the age of 41 without ever reaching a major league roster again!

The SGC VG-EX 4 grade reflects a card with mixed strengths and weaknesses. Its image shows average clarity for N172, with faded facial features. Its borders are clean and mostly even, though a tilted right edge exposes a bit of the adjacent card at the upper right. Corners and its reverse fit the grade well. Combined population reports show 3-5 examples, as PSA's lack of pose detail makes some cards ambiguous. Something with so few known will be tough enough to acquire, let alone upgrade!

This card appears as #387-5's reference image on page 364 of the Old Judge book by Miller, Gonsowski, and Masson. Love of the Game is proud to offer several cards seen in their outstanding work of research and presentation as part of our 100+ N172 listings.