1923 V100 Willard's Chocolate Tris Speaker - Cleveland Indians

Original 1923 Willard's Chocolate baseball card featuring Hall of Fame centre fielder Tris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians.

Issued in Canada by Willard's Chocolates, the 1923 V100 series is a scarce early baseball card issue featuring prominent Major League players of the era. The cards are distinguished by their sepia-toned photographic portraits and relatively simple design.

This example depicts Speaker in a fielding pose, with his facsimile signature printed diagonally across the lower portion of the image. The reverse bears a handwritten inscription in blue ink reading, "Manager of the Cleveland Americans," referencing Speaker's tenure as player-manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Nicknamed "The Grey Eagle," Speaker was one of baseball's greatest centre fielders and a key figure of the Deadball Era. Over his 22-season Major League career, he accumulated 3,514 hits, 792 doubles and a .345 lifetime batting average. Speaker helped lead Cleveland to its first World Series championship in 1920 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

Authentication
The card is ungraded and has not been independently authenticated.

Condition
The card displays substantial age-related wear, including rounded corners, edge wear, surface discolouration, creasing and general handling wear. The reverse features a handwritten inscription in blue ink. The card remains ungraded. Please refer to the photographs for complete condition details.

Details
Player: Tris Speaker
Year: 1923
Issue: V100 Willard's Chocolate
Team: Cleveland Indians
Country of Issue: Canada
Card Type: Vintage Baseball
Condition: Ungraded