This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/25/2021
This is a truly impressive near-set of the important 1950 Callahan Baseball Hall of Fame cards, the 1 ¾-by-2 ½-inch black-and-white cards that feature the pen-and-ink artwork of Mario DeMarco showcasing the Hall of Fame roster. This is a sparkling array of cards, remarkably uniform and consistent, dominated by PSA 8 and PSA 7 beauties, with fully 69 percent of the near set at PSA 7 or above and 88 percent PSA 6 or better. It comes out to a 6.83 GPA, good for 20th place on the PSA Set Registry. Many of the key cards from the issue wind up in simply stunning grades, including: a PSA 9 Dizzy Dean; PSA 8s of Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Lyons, Bill Klem, Ed Barrow, Al Simmons, Bill Terry, John McGraw and Ray Schalk; and PSA 7.5s of Tommy Connolly and Home Run Baker. The cards boast spectacular gloss and super clean backs in what is a genuinely rare opportunity to pick up most of the issue in outstanding condition. Issued initially in 1950 and then updated each year to 1956, the cards were sold by the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and at major league ballparks. Given the unusual nature of the issue, with some of the cards issued later in the run more difficult to find than those from the first year in 1950, some of the more-expensive cards aren’t necessarily what one would suppose. The breakdown: PSA 9 – Dean; PSA 8 (20) – Barrow, Cobb, Cochrane (Correct Name), Comiskey, Dickey (He Was), DiMaggio, Evers, Ewing, Gehringer (White Cap), Klem, Lajoie, Lyons, Mack, McGraw, Pennock, Schalk, Simmons, Sisler (Chosen As), Speaker and Terry; PSA 7.5 (2) – Baker and Connolly; PSA 7 (23) – Anson, Bender (Immortal), Bender (1984), Bresnahan, Brouthers, Chance, Eddie Collins (every), Cummings, Duffy, Grove, Hartnett, Heilmann, Hornsby, Keeler, Kelly, Nichols, ORourke, Ott, Plank, Radbourne, Sisler (Today is), Tinker and Traynor; PSA 6.5 (5) – Chesbro, Ban Johnson, Walter Johnson, Landis and Waddell; PSA 6 (8) – Brown, Bulkeley, Chadwick, Chandler, Eddie Collins (brilliant), Foxx, Jennings and Spalding; PSA 5 (6) – Gehrig, Hubbell, Maranville, McCarthy, Ruth and Wallace; and PSA 4 (2) – Griffith and Walsh. Here's a link to the PSA Registry listing: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/391192