This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/6/2016
When Sporting Life began issuing their W600 series in 1902, legendary Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson was still figuring out how to succeed in professional baseball. His career 20-20 record to that point carried with it a solid ERA but his performances were marred with inconsistency, committing as many wild pitches from 1901-1903 as he did the rest of his career combined, 1904-1916. But from 1903 to the end of the W600 run in 1911, 'Matty" owned the league, posting a record of 255-97 with a 1.87 ERA and winning at least 22 games every season while topping the 30-win mark four times. Presented is a stunning W600 Sporting Life cabinet card of Christy Mathewson in uniform, one of less than 10 that have been graded by PSA and SGC combined. Very conservatively graded in our evaluation, the image quality and overall strength of the corners and edges rate a solid two grades higher, though we believe the deduction is due to what appears to be some light staining around the edge of the reverse perimeter from being mounted in an album, as subtle as it is. While SGC may be technically accurate, there's no way you can look at the front of this card and think it's anything less than a bonafide VG/EX to EX, and no one needs to be told that a specimen at that grade would be exponentially pricier. This is an incredible specimen that offers amazing value, and even the most advanced collectors appreciate a good deal!