This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/21/2011
With the Honus Wagner, Eddie Plank, Larry Doyle variation, and Sherry "Magie" cards being so rare and pricey that they are excluded from the mainstream T206 set by most hobby enthusiasts, the title of "most coveted T206 issue" then goes to the Bill O'Hara St. Louis card. The reason for O'Hara's legendary status within the baseball card world stems from his trade by the New York Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals. While other tobacco companies had already released the O'Hara card as a member of the Giants, only the Polar Bear company reflected the change in their tobacco issues, thus it is the only issue that shows O'Hara as a member of the Cardinals. While the exact number of existing specimens is unknown, the "St. Louis O’Hara" is universally recognized as the toughest and most significant T206 card outside of "The Big 4," its very presence, even in low grade, heavily influencing the rankings of the PSA Set Registry. Presented is, quite simply, the best weapon a collector can have in the battle for "world's finest set," a miraculous PSA 7 beauty that is matched by just one other and bested by none. The NM grade is understandably conservative, as a specimen of this importance and magnitude must be closely scrutinized, erring on the side of caution to preserve PSA's reputation as a fair and independent evaluator. Each of the four corners appears to meet the guidelines for NM status, with two of the corners possibly reaching a half to a full point higher up the grading scale. Centering is well above adequate, with a slight preference for the east edge that is likely mild enough to sanction a grade of PSA 8. The front surface is absolutely captivating, with an amazingly registered image of O'Hara set against a breathtaking blue and green backdrop, while the midnight-blue Polar Bear reverse is deeply-saturated, with some common but negligible speckling of white print dots. This is a tremendous opportunity to obtain the finest possible specimen of one of the T206 set's most elusive members, which is sure to have a profound impact on the PSA Set Registry.