Lot # 95: 1893 Just So Tobacco Capt. Patsy Tebeau SGC VG 3 - Newly Discovered!

Graded VG 3 by SGC (submitted by REA). Presented is one of the great prizes of all 19th century card collecting: an extraordinary example of a Just So Tobacco card. Issued in 1893, Just So Tobacco cards are one of the most unusual and most obscure of all 19th century baseball-card issues. Featuring portraits of the Cleveland Spiders, as they were known at the time, cards from this set are legendary for their incredible rarity. They are very distinctive both in size (measuring 2.5 x 3.875 inches) and color, as they appear very close to black-and-white (yet, according to catalogs, are still technically sepia). The 1890s were very slow for baseball-card sets. Just So Tobacco is one of the very few issues of the era, adding to its great significance to collectors. Offered is Spiders captain and first baseman Patsy Tebeau, identified beneath his portrait as “Capt Tebeau.” The Spiders of the 1890s earned the dubious distinction of being one of the dirtiest playing clubs to ever take the field in the history of the game. This is an extremely attractive example of this extraordinary rarity. The card has flawless contrast and light corner wear. It has been downgraded due to a light crease near the bottom edge and areas of staining (possibly from tobacco) on the back. We estimate that fewer than 40 examples in total are known to exist (PSA and SGC have combined to authenticate 29 examples). When a Just So does come up for sale, it is almost always in low grade. This card has survived miraculously in incredible condition, and presents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire an extraordinary example of one of card collecting's most legendary sample-card rarities.