The following 25 cards, offered in 17 lots, comprise an extremely rare group of cards that were discovered many years ago by Tony Spota Sr. and passed on to his son. The cards were held privately for many years and have recently been consigned to us. The 15 previously known cards are listed in the Standard Catalog under the “W-unc” section and most, if not all, came from the Don Steinbach collection and were purchased by me from another dealer about 10 years ago and sold. To the best of my knowledge no others have surfaced. The Standard Catalog indicates the cards are “most likely strip cards” and I believe nothing could be further from the truth. The cards are all similarly cut and show none of the peculiarities of strip cards.
At first glance the cards seem to have the poses that are known in M101-4 and M101-5 but closer inspection reveals that only 7 cards have poses in the Sporting News sets and 15 cards have the same poses as in the M128 Police Gazette Supplement set. 21 of the cards are of the similar style to the 15 that are previously known. 8 of the 21 are new discoveries and the 13 already known brings the checklist to 23 known. In addition, there are 4 other cards, while appearing very similar may be a different set or issue. The 4 cards are slightly wider measuring 2 ” x 1 ” instead of “ 2 ” x 1 5/8 “. Three of the 4, though wider have virtually no borders on the sides. The highlight is Christy Mathewson, which is distinctly different from the known Matty. These four cards “different” are offered in the last 4 lots.
NOTE: the cards at lots 45 to 48 appear to be from a different issue based on size, style and subject.
Lot 32. 1916 W-unc. Joe Jackson, LF, Chi. White Sox. The Jackson is one of the seven cards that share an M101 pose. It is also on the previous checklist of known cards. The card has a light crease at the bottom and has a clean back.
Winning Bid $3,540
Lot 33. 1916 W-unc. Ty Cobb. The Cobb is another card that shares the well-known M101 bunting pose. It is also on the previous checklist. There is no team designation on Cobb. The card has no creases but has a skewed cut. There is a whiter area in the upper left that appears to be an abrasion but the paper feels normal. The back is fine.
Winning Bid $1,612
Lot 34. 1916 W-unc. Jim Thorpe, NY Giants. First Thorpe known and is an addition to the checklist. The pose is identical to one used in the M128 Police Gazette set. The card is centered to the top and has a couple of small creases. There is some small soiling on the back.
Winning Bid $8,354
Lot 35. 1916 W-unc. Honus Wagner, Pittsburg Nat. The Wagner shows his well-known Sporting News pose and is among the previously discovered cards from this issue. The card has no creases and a clean back but does appear to be a 1/16” shorter than the others.
Winning Bid $1,774
Lot 36. 1916 W-unc. Christy Mathewson NY Nat. The pose is identical to the one used in the M101-4 Sporting News set. It is also known from the previous checklist. The card has a crease in the upper left corner and a clean back. It is a 1/16” longer than any of the others.
Winning Bid $3,802
Lot 37. 1916 W-unc. Walter Johnson, Wash. Amer. The pose is the well known Johnson Sporting News pose and exists from the previous find. There is creasing on the bottom and some wear shows in the background at top. The back is clean.
Winning Bid $1,099
Lot 38. 1916 W-unc. “Ready for the Wallop” and Phila. Athletics, Champs. Two interesting cards both known from the previous find. Both poses are identical to ones used in the M128 Police Gazette set. The action show clearly shows Honus Wagner at bat and has some creasing. The team picture shows the Athletics and has a crease at the bottom. The backs are clean.
Winning Bid $1,463
Lot 39. 1916 W-unc. Four previously discovered cards of Joe Wood, Nap Rucker, Fred Maisel and Larry Doyle. Only Wood is known in the M101 set. Rucker and Doyle are poses in the M128 Police Gazette set. Maisel is an unknown card. The Wood card only has corner wear, Doyle has a horizontal crease. Maisel has a corner crease in the lower right and Rucker is cut close at the top. The backs are fine.
Winning Bid $2,796
Lot 41. 1916 W-unc newly discovered Eddie Plank, Phila. Amer. The pose is identical to one used in the M128 Police Gazette set. There is a vertical line of ink just right of center, otherwise a very nice well-centered card with a clean back.
Winning Bid $1,171
Lot 43. 1916 W-unc newly discovered Sam Crawford, Detroit (AL) Team. The pose is identical to one used in the M128 Police Gazette set. The photo is angled and close at the right. There is a crease at the bottom and the card is clean.
Winning Bid $1,264
Lot 45. 1916 W-unc. Christy Mathewson. The rare pose is identical to one used in the M128 Police Gazette set, issued in 1901 (#1251). Some corner creasing and minor soiling at the top of the rear. (Lots 45 to 48 appear to be from a different issue based on size, style and subject.)
Winning Bid $3,461
Lot 46. 1916 W-unc Catcher Irwin, Bklyn. Nat. Leag. Club. This mysterious card is actually a misspelling. Portrayed is Emil "Tex" Erwin, a catcher for Brooklyn from 1910 to 1914. The pose is also known in the M128 Police Gazette set. There is some creasing and a fairly clean back. (Lots 45 to 48 appear to be from a different issue based on size, style and subject.)
Winning Bid $1,264
