This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/16/2015
Any collector with an expertise in the field of pre-war hockey cards will tell you that the V145-1 Paterson card of Toronto defenseman Bert Corbeau is so extremely scarce that many consider it hockey's version of the T206 Honus Wagner. But that's not really a fair comparison; it's much tougher to find than a Wagner! The set was manufactured either by or for William Paterson Ltd., an Ontario based confectioner, and included with the purchase of a "Paterson League Hockey Bar," whose claim on the wrapper stated, "... for the complete set — 40 different players — we will send you prepaid a handsome pair of hockey skates. We will return the set of cards to you with the skates." Of course, the company had no great urge to ship free hockey skates all over Canada so the card of Corbeau was limited to, well, almost zero. This dubious sales strategy was later employed by U. S. Caramel when they made Charles Lindstrom of the 1932 baseball set and William McKinley of the presidential series "chase" cards whose numbers are thought to be in the single digits. Such is the case with the Paterson Corbeau as PSA claims just 5 total submissions on the population report, none of which have ever graded higher than PSA 2. That shouldn't be surprising since the lucky few who managed to pull one from the wrapper likely finished off the set, redeemed the cards for the hockey skates and had them returned with a cancellation hole punch, just like the featured card. The reverse of the card is stamped "cancelled" and dated March 21, 1924. Several creases and rounded corners contribute to the minimal grade, but if you have a world-class hockey collection, chances are you don't really care. Nor should you, because for even the most well-financed collectors, the V145-1 Corbeau card has been just a myth, a card that is thought to exist but never seen. Well, here is conclusive evidence that the card does exist, and it can be yours if you're ready to make the commitment.