1915 E145 Cracker Jack #103 Joe Jackson

Sold For:

$13,200

Year:

1915

Auction:

2018 Spring

Lot #:

860

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards

Presented is a stunning example of the legendary Joe Jackson from the 1915 Cracker Jack set. This is understandably one of Jackson's most striking and popular cards. This card has been encapsulated as “Authentic” by PSA due to falling just below the acceptable size ("Minimum Size Requirement Not Met"). It shows no evidence of trimming or alteration, but it is 1/16" small and therefore did not receive a numerical grade. We submitted the card to SGC to confirm PSA's findings, and they also deemed it unaltered but not within the acceptable size tolerance. This is common for cards from all eras that exhibit a natural factory cut but were not cut to exact specifications. This is still a beautiful example with an overall Ex+ appearance. Well centered (slight tilt to the image gives the appearance of being off-center), with perfect registration, an extremely bold red background, and four-square corners with light touches of wear. Flawless, boldly printed reverse. This card obviously came direct from an original "Factory Set," available direct from Cracker Jack by mail in 1915. Individual Cracker Jack cards were packaged with each box, but cards issued in boxes tend to have various condition problems, including caramel staining. "Shoeless Joe" is one of the big three key cards in the set, along with Cobb and Wagner. The card certainly has a superb overall appearance and would be a welcome addition to almost any collection of Cracker Jack, Joe Jackson, or “Black Sox” cards. This is a particularly exciting card in that it is a relatively affordable example of one of prewar card collecting's most popular and classic cards, potentially available at a fraction of the cost of a numerically graded example sharing virtually all of the same qualities. Reserve $1,000. Estimate (open).