Graded VG 3 by PSA. Hall of Famer. This is the only example at its tier (with none graded higher) among a total of just eight copies recorded in PSA's census reporting. (The "Batting, 2B" is one of the issue's quartet of Wagner depictions; PSA has graded only seventeen specimens across all four versions. Competing grading service SGC's totals are similarly minuscule.) Presented is a fabulous representative of an impossibly difficult Honus Wagner card. The T216 entry hails from an obscure series that was produced regionally by the Peoples Tobacco Company, Ltd., of New Orleans. When they do surface, cards from this release are usually encountered in deplorable condition, a fact that makes the offered specimen all the more desirable. It has fantastic eye appeal, and the colors are essentially perfect. The item's corners show acceptable wear, and a few small wrinkles are only faintly discernible. The boldly printed back carries a black-inked "Kotton Cigarettes" advertisement along with a "Factory No. 4" legend.

      This is an exceptional Wagner collectible, from an issue that has seen fewer graded Wagner examples than are found in T206. Of additional significance, this tobacco card silently disputes the idea that the T206 Wagner card's rarity derives from the great player's objection to his likeness accompanying a tobacco product. (On the other side of the coin, Peoples Tobacco was a tiny company and the cards were issued solely in and around Louisiana; Wagner's permission may not have been obtained prior to the cards' production, and it's possible that he was completely unaware of their existence.) An important, highly noteworthy offering, in admirable Very Good condition.

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