1911 T201 MECCA DOUBLE FOLDERS TRIS SPEAKER/EARL GARDNER - PSA NM 7

The early 1900s was ground zero for tobacco cards, with dozens of companies producing hundreds of sets with subjects varying from birds to battleships. But by far the most popular were the baseball card issues. To set themselves apart from the rest of the tobacco card sets, Mecca cigarettes came up with a unique gimmick – the “Double Folder.” This radically different way to produce a baseball card features two players on a single card: one player when the card is open, and another when the card is folded, with two players sharing the same pair of legs. Topps would resurrect this concept in the 1950s, but this is the original. This Double Folder features two Boston Red Sox players, outfielder Tris Speaker and second baseman Earl Gardner. Speaker, of course is an original Hall of Famer and said to be the greatest outfielder of the Dead Ball Era. Gardner, however, is a bit of a mystery. He did have a five-year career in the majors, batting a decent .263, but this card depicts him as a Red Sox player and teammate of Speaker. Earl Gardner played his entire career with the New York Highlanders – but third baseman LARRY Gardner was a teammate of Speaker’s and a Red Sox from 1908-1917 and his 1910 stats match what is given on the card. So, it is Larry, not Earl who is on the card. Mysteries aside, this is an outstanding example of one of the more unique styles of baseball cards ever produced, especially considering that the very nature of the card’s folding concept invited the inevitable damage and eventual low grade. Not so with this beauty. Featuring one of the first players enshrined in Cooperstown, this is true gem with only 3 copies in existence in this grade with only 6 graded higher according to the PSA consensus. This card has been encapsulated by PSA and graded NM 7.