The Following Lot Originates from the Jake Virtue Estate Collection (click here for info.)
Thomas C. Williams was a major league pitcher/outfielder for the Cleveland Spiders from May 1, 1892, to September 14, 1893. He had a 2-1 lifetime pitching record and was a teammate of HOF’ers Jesse Burkett, John Clarkson, George Davis, Buck Ewing and the immortal Cy Young. His very short career makes this Cabinet Card an extremely rare representation.
Williams is featured here on this stunning cabinet produced by the Pifer & Becker Photo Palace of Cleveland, Ohio. This cabinet, along with the five other Pifer & Becker cabinets in the Jake Virtue Collection featured in this auction bear the same images featured in one of the nineteenth-century collecting world's holy grail card issues, the 1893 Just So Tobacco card set. All Just So Tobacco cards, which exclusively feature Cleveland Spiders players, are exceedingly rare. It has been estimated that fewer than twenty-five examples in total are known in the entire collecting world, with fourteen different players represented. The matching images of these cabinets with their Just So counterparts leaves no doubt that these cabinets are the parents of that revered issue.
The rarity of this Williams cabinet is only equaled by its extraordinary condition. From the crystal clear image to the gold gilt edges of the 4-1/8” by 6-1/2” mount, the entire piece demonstrates the highest standards of photographic quality and presentation possible from the era. Graded NM 7 by PSA, it almost unfathomable that such a piece could survive for a century-and-a-quarter in this state of timeless regality. LOA from the Jake Virtue Estate.