His name forever will be associated with the messiest episode in baseball history. His lifetime ban and exclusion from Hall of Fame consideration are viewed by many as a travesty of justice. But there's one thing nobody can take away from Shoeless Joe Jackson: his reputation as the greatest natural hitter in the game's long history.
Ty Cobb thought he was. An impressed Babe Ruth copied his batting style. Other contemporaries, such as Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie and Eddie Collins, marveled at the slashing line drives that whipped off his oversized bat that he affectionately dubbed "Black Betsy".
Jackson’s banishment from baseball after the controversial 1919 Black Sox scandal has only served to heighten his legacy throughout the ensuing decades. Unfortunately for modern collectors, the great player's career was abbreviated, and his inclusion in contemporary card sets was correspondingly limited. It’s no wonder his cards are among the most coveted collector’s items of their era.
Among the most esteemed Joe Jackson collectibles in existence, is this glorious display card from the extremely rare 12-card Boston Garter window display series from 1914. On the face of this card, Jackson, captioned by name, is shown in a dynamic batting pose above a sample of the garter manufacturer's product. As detailed on the item’s reverse, retailers writing specifically on "business stationery" were the only individuals privileged to receive the cards. The black-printed reverse also includes a checklist for the entire 12-card set, as well as Joe Jackson's fielding stats and incomparable batting averages through the 1913 season. This newly discovered specimen is one of only about a half dozen 1914 Boston Garter Joe Jackson cards know to have survived since their inception exactly 100 years ago.
From a condition standpoint, the card has an overall GD appearance. Given its age and intended display purpose, the card retains remarkably rich original color. A few scattered small creases are present as well as a 2-1/2 inch horizontal crease visible from the left border at Jackson’s front foot. Areas of minor soiling include a stain on the bottom border and a dark ½ inch stain on the right border that touches Jackson’s back foot. These faults, individually or cumulatively, do not significantly diminish the cards impressive overall presentation quality. Encapsulated as “Authentic” by SGC, the lack of a numerical grade is attributed to a small spot of glue (invisible to the naked eye) on the horizontal crease on the back of the card that fluoresced under the grading company’s lighting equipment.
The 1914 full-color Boston Garter cards are, quite simply, the rarest and most attractive of any baseball series from any era. This #6 entry, the undisputed key to the legendary 12-card window display series, is among the hobby’s most fabulous Joe Jackson period rarities.