1888-89 Old Judge N173 Cabinet Card of Chicago Catcher Charles Hoover Graded 80 EX/NM by SGC (Pop 1 of 1)

(Baseball) 1888-89 Old Judge N173 Cabinet Card of Chicago Catcher Charles Hoover Graded 80 EX/NM by SGC (Pop 1 of 1). New York: Goodwin & Co., [1888-1889]. An exceptionally clear albumen photograph measuring 3-7/8" x 5-7/16" on an original OLD JUDGE CIGARETTES pale yellow board mount measuring 4-1/4" x 6-1/2" depicting Chicago catcher Hoover crouched behind the plate, catching a ball with his bare hands, after the ball just caught the corner of the plate. "[T]he Old Judge Cigarettes series N173, 1887-1889 ... consists of 407 cabinet cards total ..." -- The Metropolitan Museum of Art website. The cabinet cards were too large to include in packages of cigarettes like other 19th century tobacco cards. Instead, they were received by submitting proofs of purchase to the manufacturer of the cigarettes. "You will find a printed Slip in every box of OLD JUDGE or GYPSY QUEEN CIGARETTES you buy. On return to us of 25 of these Slips, or 25 Covers of Boxes in which no slips have been packed, we will mail you (prepaid) an elegant CABINET PHOTOGRAPH, handsomely mounted, of any Base Ball Player, in club uniform, you may select from our printed editions. In this way you can get the photograph of every player of prominence in any club in the country." -- Goodwin & Co., Old Judge Cigarettes advertisement circa 1888.
As of this writing, there are only 532 SGC graded examples of the N173 Old Judge Cabinet Cards. Compare this to the 11,752 SGC graded examples of the smaller, N172 Old Judge Baseball Cards, and one can readily see the relative rarity of the Cabinet Cards. Also, only 42 of the 532 are graded 80 EX/NM (SGC 6) or above. The offered card is in this rarefied grade range of this rarefied issue; also the only SGC graded example of this cabinet card! ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE # 001178