This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/7/2009
Have you ever heard of Charley Ferguson? In 1931, responding to an interview question about the five greatest players he'd ever seen, Hall of Famer Wilbert Robinson had this to say about Philadelphia's first real diamond star: "Back in the old, old days the Phillies had a man who could pitch like a streak and play the infield, too. His name was Charley Ferguson. You can't leave him off. There's Hughey Jennings, too. He was an unbeatable shortstop. As I said before, it's unfair to name just a few. Think of the many good ones I've never seen! But if I have to name the best five you can put down Cobb, Keeler, Ruth, Wagner and Ferguson for me." One of several 19th century players whose potential Hall of Fame career was tragically cut short by one of several maladies of the era, Ferguson posted an admirable 99-64 record with a 2.67 ERA in his four seasons with the Phils, his best year no doubt coming in 1886 when he went 30-9 with a 1.98 average. But Charley was also well known around the leagues for his versatility as well, more than adequately filling in at OF, 3B, and 2B on days he wasn't twirling. At the plate, he was a revelation, batting .337 in 1887 with a staggering 85 RBI in just 264 at-bats. So revered was the multi-talented Ferguson, in fact, that the Philadelphia, Washington, New York, and Boston teams all wore black crepes on their left sleeves for the entire 1888 season to commemorate their fallen brother when he died of typhoid fever before the 1888 season. He was 25 years old. Proudly offered in this lot is one of the finest known examples of Charley's 1887 N690 Kalamazoo Bats issue. Recently graded PSA VG/EX 4 despite its incredible like-new appearance, the piece comes to Mile High from a consignor who, upon helping his elderly neighbor clear her attic, noticed the card in an old album. For his troubles, the elderly woman gifted the card to our consignor, who immediately had it graded by PSA. Unsatisfied with the initial grade, he sent it to us on condition we try to grade it with SGC, the NJ-based grading company reputed for its experience with the Kalamazoo Bats issue. Unsatisfied with the SGC grade, however, we eventually decided to send it back to PSA, where we received the same initial grade as our consignor. I mention this for two reasons: first, to prove that, despite our expertise in the field, we don't have a single extra ounce of pull with the grading companies, and, second, to explain the fact that although there appear to be 3 copies of this infamously scarce pasteboard on record at PSA and SGC combined, the offered card is, in fact, the only single one that has ever been graded. And what a stunning 19th century relic it is! Very accurately centered with a seemingly perfect perimeter around two seemingly immaculate surfaces. The image boasts perfectly preserved contrast and incredible clarity for such an early photograph (or albumen print), so much so that the admiring enthusiast can even observe what appear to be genuine Quakers in the background over Charley's right shoulder (viewer's left). A handful of minor imperfections preclude the card from gaining higher consideration, including a hardly perceptible stock crease on the upper reverse, a minor break in the photo stock in the lower front right, and a tiny spot of paper loss in the upper left field, about the size of a child's cut fingernail. Excepting these unobtrusive and largely technical deficiencies, the card presents exactly as the day it was issued, in seemingly NM to even NM/MT (or near like-new) condition. Further, as the only known copy within the graded card market, this scarce museum quality Kalamazoo Bats blazer will shine as the centerpiece in even the most advanced of 19th century collections.