Pretty Amazing Advertising Sign Pickup!

[rhettyeakley]

It takes quite a bit for me to get REALLY excited about a new find but I was recently able to pick-up what I think is a unique and pretty incredible advertising sign.

First off the sign has some condition issues (broken on the corners) and appears to be slightly trimmed on the left side by about an inch or so as it only affects one letter on the bottom line of text (which is the most important of the sign as the "S" is missing from "Sporting". The overall sign measures 11" x 14".

Here is the sign... (Is is in a plastic sleeve which is what causes any glare you see... I apologize for the low quality scan as it doesn't fit on my scanner)


While it doesn't appear all that ground breaking upon first glance what we are looking at is actually an original advertising sign for the T227 Sports Champion set! That set is one of my absolute favorites and probably one of the most beautiful sets ever produced! The Honest brand was prominent in the 19th Century as one of the flagship Duke brands, but in the 20th Century they are mainly known for the T227 Champions Series, T219 Pugilist Series and one of the T205 brands.

Here is the Cobb from the set (not my card)...


The set states there are 25 subjects but in fact there have only been 24 confirmed. Of those 24 subjects there are 4 baseball players among swimmers, boxers, auto racers, runners, wrestlers, billiard players, etc.

I have been around the hobby for a long time and have never seen anything like this before. I am really excited about this pickup and I appreciate any comments, etc.