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Exceptional 1911 T4 Obak Premium Cabinet Buck Weaver

Sold For: $10,800
Year: 1911
Auction: 2016 Fall
Lot #: 4
Auction: Featured
Presented is one of the most exceptional and stunning prewar cards we have ever had the privilege of offering: a T4 Obak Premium cabinet card of Buck Weaver as a member of the San Francisco team of the Pacific Coast League. This card pictures Weaver before his Major League playing days with the Chicago White Sox, where he was a member of the infamous 1919 Black Sox, an association that propelled him to cult status in the collecting world. His cards routinely sell for more than Hall of Famers from the same sets in which he appears. Unfortunately for collectors, Weaver appears in very few sets. This is an extremely attractive card of Weaver in full uniform posing with his bat on his shoulder. The large-format Obak Premium cards (5 x 7 inches) were available only by mail in exchange for coupons, which were distributed one per pack with Obak Cigarettes. Fifty Obak coupons were required to obtain each premium. In light of this, it is not surprising that they are so rare. The premiums feature Pacific Coast League players in the very same poses as appear in the traditional small-format T212 Obak insert cards, but larger and in striking black-and-white photographic images as opposed to color. It is fascinating to note that while the design of Obak premiums do not include player identifications, they almost always have a number in pencil written in the upper left corner of the reverse (such is the case with the offered example, which grades FAIR 20 by SGC as a result). This number corresponds to the player checklist on the Obak coupon, and was added by Obak to help with organization of the premiums as they filled orders. This cabinet has survived in extraordinary condition with a flawless image, four strong corners, and no chipping along the border. Crisp and clean, both front and back, with only the aforementioned pencil-written identification at the top (as is standard for this issue). Without respect to the writing, we grade this card Ex to Ex-Mt. It is absolutely beautiful! It is a great honor for us to present this card in our catalog. Prior to this auction, we have only offered three samples from this set in the last fifteen years! This is an extremely impressive card of Buck Weaver, undoubtedly the key card to the T4 Obak Premium series, from one of the Pacific Coast League's rarest sets. Reserve $5,000. Estimate (open).
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