Comments: In May, 2003 I purchased a 1994 American Archives card raw on eBay. Soon thereafter I submitted it to PSA and they graded it NM-MT. The tribute card is a placeholder until I have the means to buy an item contemporary to Rusie's career. I'd really like a 1895 N566 Newsboy Cabinet - just need to set aside enough money and get lucky finding one. For a while, I had a 1895 N300 Mayo's Cut Plug SGC 50 example that I purchased in Aug, 2005 but sold it in 2012 to free up some cash.

UPDATE: I've found seven different N566 Newsboy Cabinet Rusie cards from 2004 to 2013 (all auctions) and wasn't able to come out on top in any of them. As mentioned above I owned the N300 for a while but it wasn't the card I wanted for Rusie. I just wasn't financially able to pull the trigger on a Newsboy. Of the N566 Rusies sold during that seven year time frame, none were in low grade which would have made the decision to bid a little easier. The final hammer prices were all pretty high. But, in October 2013, a group of five different Newsboy baseball subjects became available in the Robert Edwards Auction (Rusie, Tiernan, Doyle, Clark and Burke). They were all technically in low grade - exactly what I was looking for. According to the auction house, the group was found at an estate sale in a scrapbook by an ephemera collector and consigned to them. It appears the cards had been stored in a humid environment for some time because they all suffered separation of layers where, in particular, the photo layer had started peeling away from the cardboard backing. Even the cardboard stock was starting to separate on a few. Regardless, I was interested. Unfortunately, I would have to buy the whole lot when all I wanted was the Rusie. I spoke with a hobby friend who worked at REA to learn a little more about the cards. They had been examined with black light and loop to ensure they had not been altered, re-glued, or restored. They all had consistent damage so it seemed to go along with the story- there wasn't a card that stood out as being so much nicer than the others. The fading/staining/wear was equal across the board. I decided to place a bid. On the auction closing night I was outbid 2/3 more times. But, my max held out and I won the auction. I asked the auction house to reach out to the consignor with the following questions:

1) What other items were found in the scrapbook? Other baseball-related items? Other Newsboys? Are there any pictures of the scrapbook?

2) The cards don't appear to have corner marks from the scrapbook. So, was the scrapbook Victorian era? Or, something put together much later....

3) Does he know how the scrapbook ties to the estate? Was it grandpa's from his childhood? Or, one of grandma's garage sale finds? Do they remember seeing any other baseball stuff at the estate sale or anything else that would make him believe the scrapbook originates from the estate?

4) Their thoughts when they first spotted the baseball cards….

Unfortunately, we never heard back. Upon receipt, it was exciting to open the box and handle the cards. They were all pretty frail. Of the group, the Rusie was the most attached to the cardboard stock (approx. 90%), but the cardboard backing exhibited the most separation of layers. The photo was also the dullest of the five. It had a small crease in the upper right corner but no significant staining or pencil writing. The photo layer was smooth and even; with good gloss. Overall, I was still very pleased. I'll be selling the other four cards to recoup some of my investment. Hopefully, I do well.

UPDATE: In November, 2013 I shipped off three of the Newsboys to SGC for grading (Tiernan, Burke, and Rusie). They all came back authentic with number grades. The Rusie received a SGC 20 rating - very pleased. I'm keeping the Rusie and have consigned the others to auction houses hoping they do well. Here's the card:

UPDATE: I wasn't overly happy with my SGC 20 example.  The card was horribly faded, and it was so hard to make out Rusie's face.  The edges of the photograph were barely holding on to the cardboard backing.  In May 2020, a beautiful SGC 60 copy was made available in the Heritage Auctions May offering.  I knew the card would end up at a higher price than I could afford at the time but I couldn't help myself.  The card was gorgeous!  A like example, also graded SGC 60, sold in a Robert Edward Auction for $9400 in Spring, 2009. The exact same card sold in a Legendary Auction back in August, 2011 for $7170.  So, when my winning bid held up at a significantly lower price I was ecstatic.  I can't wait to get this card in my hands.  I just can't believe it held up it's amazing condition over the course of 125+ years.  I'll continue to take good care of it as the new owner.