R. Marquard Pitch

Richard William "Rube" Marquard (1886–1980) appears here in his pitching pose for the T206 White Border tobacco set, depicted as the southpaw fireballer of the New York Giants whose left arm John McGraw had just paid an unprecedented $11,000 to acquire from the minors. The switch-hitting, left-throwing Marquard was still working his way into a regular Giants rotation slot in 1909, the season this issue captures — the breakout that would justify the price tag came soon after, when he stitched together one of the longest winning streaks any National League pitcher has ever produced. The card is one of two T206 Marquard variations, paired with the more sedate portrait, and the action pose is generally the more sought-after of the two among collectors of left-handed dead-ball pitchers. Marquard would go on to outlive nearly every man who shared the 1909 cardboard market with him, surviving past his 93rd birthday into the era of free agency and artificial turf. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 by the Veterans Committee — a selection that drew years of debate but cemented his place in the Cooperstown roll among the McGraw-era Giants pitchers. He died June 1, 1980, the long tail of a career that began on a tobacco card.