Lot # 105: 1895 N300 Mayo's Cut Plug Billy Hamilton PSA VG-EX+ 4.5

Graded VG-EX+ 4.5 by PSA. A very attractive N300 example of Hall of Famer “Sliding” Billy Hamilton. This formal studio portrait presents him dressed in street clothes. There are few cards of Billy Hamilton. Although his career spanned the years from 1888 to 1901, this was an era in which very few baseball card sets were issued. Hamilton was arguably the best player of the 1890s, with a career batting average of .344 (sixth-best all time). In addition to his superior batting average, Hamilton finished his career with a .455 on-base percentage, 1,187 walks, 1,692 runs scored, and 937 stolen bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1961. The card has a particularly bold portrait, excellent centering, light to moderate corner wear (more so on the two uppers), and minor wear along the edges of the reverse. This is an impressive mid-grade example of one of Billy Hamilton’s most important cards, dating from the peak of his career.