1888 Heyn Cabinet Jumbo Cartwright Kansas City (Western Association) PSA VG-EX+ 4.5 - N173 Old Judge Proof - The ONLY Graded Example!

Sold For:

$3,000

Year:

1888

Auction:

2022 Fall

Lot #:

58

Category:

Pre-1900 Baseball Cards (1830-1899)

Graded VG-EX+ 4.5 by PSA. This is the ONLY example that has ever been graded by PSA! N173 Goodwin Old Judge cabinet proof of Edward Charles "Jumbo" Cartwright. Produced by the Heyn photographic studio of Omaha, Nebraska, the card features the printed notation "Copyright 1888, Goodwin & Co." in the lower-right quadrant of the photo. As part of the production process for the N172 set, Goodwin & Co. would contract with various photographers to obtain original images from staged photo shoots done in their studios. The "proof" cabinets produced by these studios, such as Heyn, were provided not only to Goodwin and other companies for their commercial use but were also often given to players, family, or made available to the public as a means of advertising for the respective studio. In the offered cabinet photo, which has exceptional clarity, Cartwright is depicted leaning on his bat (Pose #70-4). A very elaborate advertisement for the Heyn studio appears on the reverse. Cartwright played five seasons at the Major League level (St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators), finishing with a .295 career batting average. He is best known for driving in seven runs during one inning of a game, a record that stood for 109 years. The cabinet card (4.25 x 6.5 inches) displays modest corner wear and very light foxing along the base of the mount. This would be a significant and worthy addition to even the most advanced nineteenth-century baseball collection. Reserve $1,000.