This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/7/2009
We think it's odd that PSA publishes MINT 9 prices in the Sports Market Report for the 1912 T202 Hassan Triple Folders set. After all, 7,100 total copies of this delightfully over-sized tobacco issue have been submitted to the Newport Beach grading authority, and the presented piece de resistance is just the 4th ever example to surface in unqualified MINT condition, with 0 grading higher and, as further proof of the set's well-documented condition sensitivity, just 4 examples in the NM/MT+ 8.5 category. A popular issue to grade with SGC as well, the NJ-based grading firm reports a nearly identical statistical spread at the top of its T202 pop report, with 1 example grading GEM 10 (the only 1 in the hobby) and 2 examples grading MINT 9, buffered by another 2 copies grading NM/MT+ 8.5 from nearly 3,600 on record. In sum, that's just 13 total examples ever graded above NM/MT 8 from 10,700 submissions on record at both PSA and SGC combined, with 1 in about every 1,800 of those submissions grading MINT 9. Even more inexplicable than these staggering statistics is the fact that the offered gem, featuring David Shean with Hall of Fame teammate Frank Chance, once resided within the caustic confines of one of Hassan's cork tip cigarette packs. Despite this, there are absolutely no traces of tobacco stains anywhere throughout either surface. The reverse does show some faint but perfectly characteristic toning along the folded seems, but it appears exceptionally well-centered for the issue and is further highlighted by a noticeably bold scarlet print impression throughout. The obverse is even more impressive, so much so that it appears to border on GEM MINT! An undeniable anomaly for the issue, it flaunts a perfectly centered central image sandwiched by two near perfectly centered side images. Of course, the side images are virtually identical to those of the T205 Gold Border issue, and so anyone familiar with the print problems of that set can attest to the superior quality of both images presented here. Both are pristinely registered, with no portion of either portrait overreaching the narrow confines of its fine details. Furthermore, except for a hardly perceptible vertical line of unsaturated background print down the right side of Shean's red backdrop, the colors in every remaining square millimeter of the card (on both player's portions) boast a profoundly deep saturation with absolutely no traces of the spottiness so standard on the majority of inferior specimens. Finally, as one might expect of an early tobacco card graded MINT 9 by PSA, both the corners and edges showcase thoroughly MINT qualities on both surfaces, even bordering on MINT+ to GEM MINT on the front. Importantly, of the 4 total MINT 9 Hassan Triple Folders on record at PSA, only 1 other features a Hall of Famer, coincidentally, another Chance specimen (Chance/Foxen). A stunning and improbable masterpiece of the entire tobacco canon, and a sprawling centerpiece in even the world's finest collections!