1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco Billy Sunday - Newly Discovered!

Extremely rare sample card from the Yum Yum Tobacco series of 1888 features a woodcut of legendary ballplayer-turned-evangelist Billy Sunday, right fielder for the Pittsburgh Nationals. 1888 was Sunday's first season with Pittsburgh, having spent his entire Major League career up to that season as backup outfielder with the powerhouse Chicago Nationals. Yum Yums are one of the 19th century's legendary rarities. In fact, only 125 examples have been graded by SGC and PSA combined! This is only the second example of this particular Sunday card that we have offered in the past 22 years. The offered example is one of eight N403 Yum Yum cards recently discovered at a public auction in Arizona. At the time, each card was affixed to a backing and presented in a framed display. Our consignor, the buyer at that sale, carefully removed each card from the backing, which were affixed with vintage clear tape (has yellowed over time). Yum Yum Tobacco was a brand of the August Beck & Company of Chicago. Advanced collectors have appreciated the mystique of the rarest pre-1900 baseball-card issues for decades. 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. The offered example has light corner wear, a tiny crease on the lower-left edge, and tape across the reverse of the card. This newly-discovered card remains an outstanding example from this extremely rare and desirable 19th-century set, featuring one of the 19th century's most legendary American figures, Billy Sunday.