This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/13/2024
While the name Eddie Plank doesn't always register in the hearts and minds of historians as Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, or Cy Young would, his body of work suggests that he was just as stellar. "Gettysburg Eddie" posted 324 career victories, including eight 20+ win campaigns, a career 2.35 ERA, and his 410 complete games in 529 starts helped the Philadelphia A's to World Series championships in 1910, 1911, and 1913. Even the legendary Babe Ruth had high praise for the Hall of Fame hurler, stating, “Personally, I think Eddie Plank was one of the best pitchers who ever stepped into the box. Eddie Plank was the real ‘daddy’ of the brainy players. I’ve seen him strike out heavy hitters with pitched balls that didn’t have a thing on ‘em.” Needless to say, Plank was an uncommon pitcher, and his T206 card is, well, uncommon to say the least. Like the T206 Honus Wagner that stands as the standard-bearer for the entire hobby, the white-border example of Eddie Plank is almost as scarce and carries several theories as to its rarity, all of which leave more questions than answers. One idea is that Plank, like Honus Wagner, did not want to endorse tobacco products. Another theory suggests that the printing plate for the T206 Plank card was broken for an extended period. A third theory proposes it was simply a production error. In any event, it is thought that only 75 to 120 T206 Eddie Plank cards exist. When you compare that to the T206 Wagner's estimated population of 50 to 70 specimens, it's easy to see that the Plank is still undervalued in comparison as both had an elite level of star power for their time. The featured example is one of the best known to exist, offering incredible side-to-side centering, registration that is virtually unmatched with bold, clean background color and a sharp image of the baseball legend, and endpoints that align closer to, or perhaps even surpass NM standards. While the top-to-bottom centering also appears to be positioned accurately, the nameplate comes close to touching the bottom edge, the only reason we can imagine for the overly conservative assessment. The reverse is equally as impressive, a toned white canvas that further spotlights the sharpness of the endpoints and houses a bold red print advertisement for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Only one has been graded higher at SGC, and this one may be stronger around the perimeter and as well as the presentation of the portrait. This is one of the most iconic issues ever produced in the over 150+ year history of the baseball card industry, and the featured example is one of the absolute finest of the scant number of surviving examples.