Lot # 15: 1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco Cap Anson SGC Authentic

Extremely rare card from the Yum Yum Tobacco series of 1888 featuring legendary Hall of Famer Cap Anson in a portrait pose. Yum Yums are one of the nineteenth century's legendary rarities. In fact, only 125 examples have been graded by SGC and PSA combined! Only four N403 Anson cards have been evaluated by SGC. It is extremely rare to find even a common N403 Yum Yum, let alone a key Hall of Famer. The fact that Anson is the premier star of the nineteenth century and the key Hall of Famer in the Yum Yum set makes this example very significant. It is interesting to note, however, that this card actually depicts Abner Dalrymple, a teammate of Anson's from the Chicago White Stockings. Yum Yum made errors such as this on several cards within the set. Still, this remains one of Anson's toughest cards, likely second only to the extremely elusive Old Judge Anson in uniform pose. Yum Yum Tobacco was a brand of the August Beck Company of Chicago. Since the earliest days of organized collecting, advanced collectors have appreciated the mystique of the rarest pre-1900 baseball-card issues, especially Yum Yum Tobacco cards. Whether it is because of the brand name, their unusual look, extreme rarity, or a combination of all of these factors, few card issues command the respect that Yum Yum Tobacco cards do among the most serious collectors. It is always a privilege to offer a Yum Yum, regardless of condition. This particular example is encapsulated as Authentic by SGC due to being trimmed along the bottom (advertisement cut off) and skinned on the reverse. Despite these condition flaws, this is an aesthetically pleasing photographic-style example (Yum Yums were also issued with line-drawn woodcut designs) from this extremely rare and desirable set, featuring the nineteenth century's most legendary Hall of Famer.