This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/11/2013
While few would argue that the game of baseball during the early 20th Century lent itself to the establishment of pitching records that are virtually impossible to even approach today, almost all baseball historians are in agreement that Walter Johnson's pitching achievements transcend any time period in baseball history. Playing his entire 21-year career with the Washington Senators, Johnson struck out 3,508 hitters, the all-time record at his retirement, and still holds the major league record with 110 career shutouts. He led the American League in strikeouts 12 times, shutouts seven times, wins and complete games six times, ERA five times, and finished his career with 417 wins and a 2.17 ERA. While there's no doubt that Johnson benefited from the "dead-ball" era, he went on to record 140 wins from 1919-1927 and earned his second MVP award in 1924 at the age of 36. His side-arm delivered fastball was unprecedented, clocked at 99 MPH by a Connecticut munitions factory in 1917, when Johnson had already logged almost 3,500 big league innings. But as spectacular as Walter Johnson was to the baseball world, his debut appearance on pasteboard was equally as extraordinary! With a great number of major tobacco and candy card issues manufactured during the decades leading up to his debut, Walter Johnson was introduced to the baseball card world in the T204 Ramly series, often considered the most elusive and beautiful of all issues ever manufactured. The presented example, graded PSA 6, offers a phenomenal black and white photo image of "The Big Train," incredibly precise given the limited technology of the era, and is surrounded by an intricate gold leaf design. A vulnerable gold border lines the edges but shows virtually no sign of chipping or wear. Centering is almost dead-on accurate and the central image is free from any stains or scuffing. Each corner meets or exceeds PSA standards for the grade and the overall presentation is clearly superior to most Ramlys residing at the PSA 6 level. There are only a handful of others at this grade and they are simply outmatched in comparison to the appearance of this museum-quality specimen. An extremely high-end, review worthy example of an early 20th Century classic and one of the most important rookie cards ever produced!