Lot # 593: Extremely Rare 1916 M101-4 Burgess-Nash #9 Frank "Home Run" Baker SGC VG 3 - The ONLY Graded Example!

Graded VG 3 by SGC. This is the only example that has ever been graded by PSA or SGC! Outstanding example of Hall of Famer Frank "Home Run" Baker from the M101-4 series featuring an extremely scarce Burgess-Nash advertising reverse. The M101-4 (and the closely related M101-5) set is commonly referred to as Sporting News (in honor of its most prominent sponsor), but cards were actually issued with a variety of advertising backs as well as with blank backs. To date, only nineteen examples featuring a Burgess-Nash back (of all players) have been graded by SGC (PSA has graded fifteen). While exact population numbers for ungraded examples cannot be known, in their extensive research into the M101-4/5 sets and their advertising backs (http://www.oldcardboard.com/m/m101-4/m101pop.asp), Tim Newcomb and Todd Schultz estimate that Burgess-Nash cards are the second most difficult to find (only behind Mall Theatre backs) and account for less than one percent of the entire M101-4/5 production run of all back varieties (Burgess-Nash has been confirmed to appear only on M101-4 cards). Though this card might be appreciated by collectors for its rarity over its technical grade, it remains an extremely attractive example with a crisp image and flawless contrast. The reverse advertisement for Burgess-Nash is perfectly bold and crisp. Downgraded largely due to moderate corner wear and spots of surface damage along the lower-left edge and bottom edge.