1903 E107 Breisch-Williams Mike Donlin SGC GOOD 30 - 1 of 2 - Highest Graded!

Sold For:

$16,800

Year:

1903

Auction:

2025 Spring

Lot #:

162

Category:

Prewar Baseball Cards (1900-1941)

Graded GOOD 30 by SGC. One of only two examples graded at this level with none higher! Extremely rare E107 Breisch-Williams card featuring outfielder Mike Donlin of the Cincinnati Reds. It is interesting to note that Donlin is pictured wearing his St. Louis Cardinals uniform from the 1900 season but is identified with the Cincinnati Reds (his 1902 and 1903 team). "Turkey Mike" Donlin was a true star and also one of the most interesting off-the-field characters of the game in his day. A superb hitter, he batted over .300 ten times in twelve Major League seasons, and finished with a .333 lifetime batting average. He hit .356 and scored a league-high 124 runs in 1905. Many years he also led the league in drinking, carousing, womanizing, and general mayhem, all the while enjoying popularity as great or greater than any other star of the dead-ball era. In 1906 he married actress Mabel Hite and soon after attempted to transition from baseball to a career in show business, an endeavor which was in the end only moderately successful. Though not a Hall of Famer, "Turkey Mike" Donlin was one of best known and most legendary players of the dead-ball era. The card displays a flawless image, with evenly rounded corners, and a few light creases. This is a very attractive example of one of the great cards in the E107 set.