April 5, 2018: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/5/2018
Whoever said “What’s in a name?” never labored to put together a T212 Obak set, showcased here by what is easily the most expensive and challenging card in the issue, despite the relative obscurity enjoyed by the Vancouver N.W.L. outfielder. The Obaks, the most famous and coveted of all minor-league issues, features players from the Pacific Coast League and the Northwestern League in Canada. Born Oct. 14, 1889, in the Million family’s first year in Mt. Vernon, mother Ella decided to give the youngster a leg up on posterity by naming him “Ten.” Like oil painters and poets, the payoff would come posthumously for the career minor leaguer, who retired due to a knee injury in 1914 with a .257 lifetime average. Following his retirement, he worked selling sporting goods and served in World War I, later on selling Ford automobiles as a nifty photo op when the company rolled Ford No. 10 million off the assembly line. In October of 1920, after being greased by mother Ella, Ten talked his wife Christine into letting him name their daughter “Decillion.” Bet that proved to be a hit in middle school. On to his pasteboard: while virtually every card in the rare issue can command more than $100 in solid grades, Ten’s quirky classic can up the ante by a multiple of 10 or more. Graded a PSA 2, this specimen presents even better than its technical grade, boasting nice centering, a vivid purple background and a presentation that seems closer to VG-Ex. This is a rare opportunity to pick up one of the true treasures of the important Obak tobacco issues from 1909-11.
1911 T212 Obak Ten Million PSA 2
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