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Exceedingly rare, possibly unique (we have never seen another example), team cabinet card featuring cameo portraits of fourteen members of the 1887 Lincoln Tree Planters of the Western League, including future Hall of Fame first baseman Jake Beckley. Each player is pictured in formal attire and has been identified in print below his respective image. Both the photographer's credit stamp, "Waltermire, Lincoln, Neb.," and seller's name, "Keith Bros., Lincoln, Neb.," appear on opposite sides of of the mount. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest image of Beckley as a professional player. It is also the only cabinet we have seen picturing a team from the short-lived Western League (1885-1888). Beckley, who began his professional career with the Leavenworth Soldiers of the Western League in 1886, started the 1887 season with Leavenworth before joining Lincoln in midseason. In what was obviously a hitter's league, Beckley was one of four starting players to hit over .400 that season, finishing with a .422 average. Beckley, known during his playing days as “Eagle Eye,” was one of many players whose career bridged two centuries. He began his Major League career in 1888 as a member of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and ended it twenty years later, in 1907, with the St. Louis Cardinals. During that span he batted over .300 on thirteen separate occasions and finished his career with a .308 lifetime average. He held the record for games played at first base (2,377) for decades until it was eclipsed by Eddie Murray, but Beckley still holds the top mark for putouts by a first baseman (23,709). Following his Major League career, Beckley continued to play ball in the minor leagues for another four years. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. The cabinet card (6.5 x 4.25 inches), which displays outstanding photographic clarity and contrast, has a few minor surface marks. The mount has minor edge and corner wear. The number "29856" is lightly written in pencil on the reverse, which would cause it to technically grade Good. In otherwise Very Good to Excellent condition overall. Reserve $3,500.