This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/22/2010
Graded SGC 88 NM/MT 8. Tendered for auction is a magnificent example of Eddie Plank's striking 1910 E93 Standard Caramel issue that ranks among the top-five highest-graded specimens in the hobby. Unblemished NM/MT+ to MINT crowning top corners combine with microscopically inferior NM/MT bottom points to join MINT, chip-free edges around two nearly immaculate surfaces gleaming with astonishing GEM MINT qualities. The self-evident centering favors the right, snow-white border to a degree just in excess of the tolerance for MINT consideration, although it does appear sufficient for NM/MT+ status. The reverse features similar centering and is exceptionally resplendent for the issue. The obverse, on the other hand, is an utter anomaly in its near perfection. "Gettysburg Eddie" stands before an artistically-rendered, two-toned, pastel backdrop of sky blue and grass green, with absolutely no imperfections evident whatsoever. Bedecked in a russet-colored uniform, Eddie's image contrasts sharply with the powdery pastels of the backdrop, creating an unusual and alluring image of unparalleled charm. The characteristically crude E93 image registration, that is, the alignment of the different color layers used in the E93 printing process, appears nearly flawless, producing sharp lines of color separation and hardly any traces of white gaps that so commonly plague the issue. Under magnification, the only apparent insufficiencies evident throughout the otherwise GEM MINT obverse are a pixel-sized micro dot of red print on the tip of Plank's sideburn and a similarly minuscule dot in the border left of his head, just on the edge of the blue backdrop. Everything else truly appears perfect. No spotting, no print, no toning, and of course no stains. Hailing from one of the most collected caramel sets in the hobby, this improbable GEM is not only one of the top-5 highest-graded copies in existence, it has a very legitimate claim to ranking as the single finest of them all!