Lot # 415: 1911 T4 Obak Premium Cabinet Henry Melchoir

Outstanding T4 Obak Premium card of San Francisco Seals outfielder Henry Melchoir. This is an extremely rare type card. The large-format Obak premium cards (5 x 7 inches) were available only by mail in exchange for coupons, which were distributed one per pack with Obak Cigarettes. Fifty Obak coupons were required to obtain each premium. In light of this, it is not surprising that they are so rare. The premiums feature Pacific Coast League players in the same poses that appear in the traditional small-format T212 Obak insert cards, but these cards are larger and the photographic image is in striking black and white as opposed to color. It is fascinating to note that though the design of Obak premiums do not include player identifications, the offered example has a preprinted number "71" in the lower-right corner. This is just the second example with a preprinted number on the front that we have offered in the past twenty-one years! This number corresponds to the player checklist on the Obak coupon and was added by Obak to help with organization of the premiums as it filled orders. This example presents in Vg condition overall with a crisp image, even wear at the corners, and light foxing on the blank reverse. It would technically grade modestly due to two tiny pinholes at the top corners (a common flaw in T4 Premium cards) along with "Melchoir, S.F." written in pencil along the top of the reverse. The front is very clean and the image has flawless contrast. This is an impressive-looking sample card from one of the Pacific Coast League's rarest sets.