Lot # 706: Newly Discovered 1922 Olsen Games Co. Tris Speaker VG 3 - 1 of 1 - Highest Graded!

Presented is an exceptional, newly discovered card of Tris Speaker from the 1922 Olsen Games Co. set. This card is part of the exciting find that REA initially shared in its Spring 2026 auction. It is just one of two examples of Speaker from this series to be documented (along with the other from the find), and the first to be presented for sale! In 1922, the Olsen Game Co. produced a playing card game consisting of 30 red and 30 blue cards and picturing an illustrated game scene of the "action" for players to use in simulating a game. Action would alternate between batting and pitching sides, with the cards bearing game outcomes, such as "Strike," "Single," and "Home Run," that players would play against each other until the conclusion of a nine-inning "game." The playing cards were packaged neatly in a red box with a foldover instruction booklet. On the back page of the instruction booklet is an advertisement showing kids how they can obtain cards that, from the front, are identical in design to the 1922 E120 American Caramel Series of 240. Pictured are examples of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb (incorrectly spelled "Cob"), along with instructions on how to obtain 15 different cards from the set (10 cents) or a "Complete set Base Ball Players, 120 leading players of the season" (50 cents). Graded VG 3 by PSA, the offered example of Speaker is the highest graded of the two Speaker cards now known to exist. It boasts superb image clarity, and while there are faint pencil marks on the reverse (noted strictly for accuracy), it is an excellent representation of this tremendous rarity. This is a superb, newly discovered example of an extreme rarity that would be a significant addition to any world-class Tris Speaker or rare vintage baseball-card collection.