Extremely Rare 1916 M101-4 Mall Theatre #88 William James SGC VG 40 - Highest Graded!

Sold For:

$2,280

Year:

1916

Auction:

2023 Fall

Lot #:

977

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards

Graded VG 40 by SGC. Highest-graded example. Presented is an extraordinary example of #88 William James from the M101-4 series with an extremely scarce Mall Theatre advertising reverse. The M101-4 (and the closely related M101-5) set is commonly referred to as Sporting News (in honor of its most prominent sponsor), but cards were actually issued with a variety of advertising backs as well as blank backs. To date, only 10 cards with the Mall Theatre reverse have been graded by SGC (PSA has graded one). While exact population numbers that account for ungraded examples cannot be known, in their extensive research into the M101-4/5 sets and their advertising backs (http://www.oldcardboard.com/m/m101-4/m101pop.asp), Tim Newcomb and Todd Schultz estimate that Mall Theatre cards are among the most difficult to find (along with Everybody's, Green Joyce, and Holmes to Homes) and account for less than 1 percent of the entire M101-4/5 production run of all back varieties (Mall Theatre has been confirmed to appear only on M101-4 cards). An attractive example, the card displays a crisp image and moderate corner wear. The reverse advertisement for Mall Theatre is bold and crisp, showing a few spots of discoloration. This is a pleasing example featuring an ultra-rare back advertisement from one of the most important baseball-card issues of the era. A worthy addition to even the most advanced type-card collection! Opening Bid $1,000.