This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/22/2016
While it's not his rookie card, and he's not a Hall of Famer, the 1915 Cracker Jack card of Shoeless Joe Jackson is considered by many advanced collectors to be one of the top 5 most coveted baseball cards ever produced. When this card was released, Joe Jackson had played over 600 games with a career .377 batting average, outpacing even the great Ty Cobb, who had a career .368 mark at the time. Few depictions are more well recognized that the image of Jackson post-swing, slightly offset against that glowing red backdrop that defines the Cracker Jack series. Even low grade examples are snapped up by collectors who have given up on trying to attain a high-grade example, but the featured item is targeted toward the more advanced collector. A heavy centering bias necessitates an (OC) qualifier by PSA, but the strength of the perimeter, the depth of the color and the extreme brightness and the presentation of the reverse necessitate a grade of NM/MT from PSA. As most collectors know, the 1914 Cracker Jack cards feature a thinner stock than the 1915 issue and were inserted directly into Cracker Jack boxes, unprotected from the damaging effects of the caramelized popcorn treat. Considering this method of distribution, it's a near miracle that this card or any other from the 1914 series survived without carrying large areas of staining so common to the issue. Other than the framing, there is no weakness to this example, as every other attribute is at or above the specifications for NM/MT level. One of the greatest baseball cards ever made, now available!