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1893 Just So Tobacco Tebeau

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1893 Just So Tobacco Tebeau

Graded EX 60 by SGC. Issued in 1893, Just So Tobacco cards are one of the most unusual and most obscure of all nineteenth-century baseball card issues. Featuring portraits of the Cleveland Spiders, as they were known at the time, cards from this set are legendary for their great rarity. They are very distinctive both in size (measuring 2.5 x 3.875 inches) as well as their very close to black and white (yet, according to catalogs, still technically sepia) appearance. The 1890s were a very slow decade for baseball card sets. Just So Tobacco is one of the very few issues of the era, adding to their significance to collectors. Offered is Spiders' captain and first baseman Patsy Tebeau, identified beneath his portrait as "Capt Tebeau." The Spiders of the 1890s, by the way, were well known as one of the dirtiest playing clubs to ever take the field in the history of the game. Team Captain Patsy Tebeau, no doubt, played a great role in setting the tone that earned his club this most dubious distinction. This is a very sharp example of this incredible rarity. There are no creases, the card is very clean front and back, and the corners are reasonably square, with a touch of wear to the upper left corner. This card has been locked away in an advanced collection for about 20 years. It would be hard to find a superior example. Excellent condition. Reserve $2,000. Estimate $4,000/$8,000.

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