This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/4/2020
Absolutely exceedingly rare by any standard, the offered example of this 1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco Mickey Welch Pitching Arm Extended is the only graded example on record at either PSA or SGC. In our research the only other copy we were able to locate an image of resides in the collection of the Library Of Congress. Offered is the Pitching- Arm extended variant presented in a wood-cut version of the Hall Of Fame subject in Mickey Welch which was employed on several other cards from the Yum Yum series. The image was printed using an albumen printing process, the first commercially exploitable method of producing a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. It used the albumen found in egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper and became the dominant form of photographic positives from 1855 to the start of the 20th century, with a peak in the 1860-90 period. The offered example of the card does appear to differ ever so slightly from the Library Of Congress example in that it is more muted and not of as sharp of printing characteristics, which are most likely a product of its environment of having been discovered as a page marker in an old book whereby the placement within the pages has deteriorated the albumen printing process. By the time he departed the major league scene in early 1892, Welch had become only the third pitcher in big league history to record 300 wins. He spent the remainder of his long life at the margins of the game, serving as a ballpark attendant at the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, and regularly regaling New York sportswriters with tales from baseball’s early years. An exceedingly rare card that is offered in PR 1 condition and graded by PSA.