This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/10/2010
Sporting Life was a Philadelphia-based weekly publication, and THE sports paper in the early part of the 20th century. Referring to themselves as "The Paper That Made Base Ball Popular," that statement is prominently displayed on the reverse of the six-card set of cabinets cards issued by them in 1911. This set of artful cabinets are recognized as among the rarest, attractive and most desirable cards of the era. Similar in size (5 5/8" x 7 1/2") to the more colorful T3 Turkey Red cabinets, these cards are considerably more rare than the Turkey Reds. The M110 Sporting Life six-card set features tremendous pastel pictures of the best players of the time, with the picture a full-length action pose surrounded by a gray frame with gold player nameplate at the bottom. The Honus Wagner card features a quintessential batting pose, the front foot lifted off the ground ready to plant, hands is the launch position. With those hitting mechanics, it is no wonder that Wagner had 3,420 career safeties. This is an extremely rare Wagner card, much more rare than the famous T206 Honus Wagner, with only three M110 Wagner's graded by PSA and four Wagner's graded by SGC. Of the six different M110 subjects, only 56 total examples of these Cabinets have ever been professionally graded. Because a T3 cabinet card of Honus Wagner was never issued, the M110 Wagner is one of the most desirable Wagner cards of that era. This example is graded by PSA at FAIR 1.5, with the usual rounded and creased corners, some discoloration and wear on the reverse. Presented is one of the greatest baseball subjects ever to appear on a pasteboard, on one of the most substantial and well made card sets ever produced. Graded by PSA FAIR 1.5.