1911-1912 C55 Imperial Tobacco Hockey PSA-Graded Near-Complete Set (44/45) Plus One Variation

Sold For:

$18,000

Year:

1911

Auction:

2024 Fall

Lot #:

3171

Category:

Featured

Extremely rare near-complete set (minus one) of 1911-1912 C55 Imperial Tobacco hockey cards, missing #38 Vezina for completion. Also included are both variations of #27 Smaill. Unlike baseball's most significant vintage sets such as T206 and 1933 Goudey, which are widely known throughout the collecting world, hockey's great rarities and earliest issues are relatively unknown, except by veteran hockey-card collectors. The first hockey sets were all Canadian issues and are among hockey collecting's premier items. This particular set is noted for its incredible player selection, with twenty-one Hall of Famers, including Art Ross, Cyclone Taylor, and Newsy Lalonde. Each card has been professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA. PSA Grading Composite: EX-MT 6 (5 cards): #13, 25, 28 Johnson, 30, and 32. EX 5 (22 cards): #2 Hall RC, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 Walsh, 12, 14, 16 LeSueur, 17 Darragh RC, 18, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27 Smaill/hand on stick, 29 Marshall, 35, 36 Gardiner RC, 37, 41, and 44. VG-EX+ 4.5 (6 cards): #5, 9, 24 S. Cleghorn RC, 39, 42 Lalonde, and 43. VG-EX 4 (9 cards): #1 Moran, 3, 4 Malone RC, 15 Stuart, 19, 33, 34, 40, and 45 Laviolette. VG 3 (3 cards): #20 Taylor, 27 Smaill/hand on hip, and 31 Ross. This is only the fifth near-complete (or complete) set of these C55 Imperial Tobacco cards that we have offered in the past 20 years. A very attractive and rarely offered mid-grade near-complete set (minus one) of one of the most important of all early hockey issues. Total: 45 cards (44 different and one variation). The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot. Opening Bid $2,500.