Lot # 173: 1910 E98 Anonymous "Set of 30" Honus Wagner PSA FAIR 1.5 - Red Background

Graded FAIR 1.5 by PSA. Modestly graded example of Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Honus Wagner from the E98 “Set of 30” candy-card issue. The manufacturer of E98 is unknown, and the set may be easily confused with other caramel-card sets of the era (E93 and E94 specifically); this is an entirely different set even though it uses many of the same subjects and poses. For many years, E98s were among the scarcest of the 1910-era caramel cards, but the “Black Swamp Find” changed the population dramatically. E98s have always been very desirable, and their increased availability and noteworthiness due to the find may have increased the demand as more collectors have become familiar with the set. The offered card has a brilliant red background and crisp image of Wagner throwing. The checklist reverse is mostly clean. Downgraded due to scattered creasing, moderate corner wear, and a few spots of paper loss along the reverse. Caramel cards in general are much rarer than tobacco cards of the era. Because they were issued with caramels one card per package and sold to children (as opposed to being sold to adults with tobacco), they also tend to survive in a much lower grade. This is a very presentable example of key Hall of Famer Honus Wagner from this extremely desirable early 20th century candy issue.