This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/10/2010
Graded VG/EX 4(MC) by PSA. Upon viewing the image of this card in the catalog many long time enthusiasts will offer the prerequisite still five seconds of silence, or possibly go the route of a low hum to themselves or maybe even the more advanced, muttering to themselves in a semi incoherent babble. Whatever your routine of sheer amazement and bewilderment is, rest assured you are starring at one of the more rare tobacco cards of the 20th century. The 1911 T208 Firesides are an 18 card Philadelphia Athletics set issued by the Thomas Cullivan Tobacco Company of Syracuse, NY, and are among the rarest of all tobacco issues. The cards are the standard size for all tobacco issues measuring 1-1/2" x 2-5/8". The front of the cards feature a player portrait set against a colored background. The players name as well as the team designation are at the bottom of the cards while the banner "Worlds Champions 1910" is trumpeted across the top of the pasteboard. The offered example boasts a stunning blue background that surrounds the subject with moderately rounded corners commensurate with the opined grade. The right to left centering is exceptional while the top to bottom centering is miscut with the top border being right at the level with the interior blue. The reverse Cullivan's Fireside advertisement is ever so slightly soiled yet still projects a wonderfully rare image that excites the most advanced hobbyists. A tremendous rarity offered in more than satisfying VG/EX condition with a reference to the miscut qualifier.