Lot # 97: 1889-1890 E. R. Williams #13 John Ward/Curt Welch PSA NM-MT 8

Graded NM-MT 8 by PSA. One of only two examples graded at this level by PSA with just one higher. Magnificent high-grade example of one of the key cards from the E. R. Williams game card set featuring portraits of Hall of Famer John Ward and Curtis Welch. Bright, crisp, and clean both front and back, this card is obviously from a deck that was never played with and was broken up years ago. The E. R. Williams set includes only 19 cards featuring players, each with two players per card. The entire set of cards, together with a small board and a few wooden pieces, allowed for the playing of an exciting "indoor baseball game." The E. R. Williams set is one of the few 19th century sets printed in color. While this set has not received the attention of many other pre-1900 issues, in part because it is not a tobacco issue, it is a very rare set, far rarer than many of the most popular issues of the 1880s such as N28 and N29 Allen & Ginter. This is an extremely desirable high-grade example of one of the most elusive of all John Ward cards and one of the key cards from the set.