Lot # 82: 1899-1900 M101-1 Sporting News Cy Young Rookie BVG FAIR 1.5

Extremely rare and significant example of Cy Young's rookie card, from the highly regarded M101-1 Sporting News premium set issued in 1899. This sepia-toned set was issued with The Sporting News in the years 1899 and 1900. The fact that this rare issue is designed with a biography on the reverse makes the set all the more substantial. Each premium was issued on only a single day and is dated in the upper right. They were intended to be collected over a period of months, as issued, and their purpose was to provide extra value and encourage loyalty among readers of The Sporting News. Their method of issue and the thin paper stock on which they are printed make these unusual and striking premiums particularly susceptible to damage. The fact that these premiums were each issued on only a single day with The Sporting News, as opposed to being offered in set form or over a longer period of time, makes their significant rarity very understandable. The Young premium was issued on December 9, 1899, and features the future Hall of Fame legend as a pitcher with the St. Louis Perfectos (Cardinals). Encapsulated and graded FAIR 1.5 by BVG (Beckett). The premium has light creasing and minor edge chipping along the left. The upper left and lower left corners have small pieces missing. The reverse has a tape stain extending along the right edge. While technically in modest condition, the flaws are unobtrusive, and the premium has a much stronger appearance. The M101-1 Sporting News set, designed with a biography on the reverse exactly like traditional card issues produced in later years, is much more "card-like" than most other premium issues. In fact, of special significance is the fact that M101-1 is the first set featuring Major League baseball players that is designed with biographies on the reverse at all, a design element that in the years to follow came to be a standard defining feature of many baseball-card sets. Not all collectors recognize premiums as cards due to their size and thin stock, but for those that do not make this distinction, the M101-1 Sporting News premium of Cy Young, without question, is one of the earliest issues for this significant Hall of Famer and represents one of his rookie cards. Dimensions: 8.75 x 11 inches.