Lot # 212: 1911 E94 George Close Candy Nap Lajoie SGC EX 5 - Gold Background (Nagy Collection)

Graded EX 5 by SGC. Only two examples have been graded higher by SGC. Extremely attractive E94 candy card featuring Cleveland Naps Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie in a batting pose set against a beautiful gold background (one of the seven different background color variations of the set). The offered card has vibrant colors, a crisp image, light corner wear, and excellent centering. The back features the checklist for the set. This particular example has been pedigreed by SGC as originating from the collection of legendary hobby pioneer Frank Nagy. While at a glance E94s may be easily confused with other caramel-card sets of the era (E93 and E98 specifically), they are an entirely different set, though they share many of the same subjects and poses. The E94 caramel card set is usually associated with the George Close Co. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. While the majority of the E94 cards do not have any sort of advertisement on the back, some have been found with overprints that make reference to this company. This is an extremely attractive example of one of Lajoie's most classic cards from this rare, early twentieth-century candy issue.