Nineteenth Century Hall of Fame Type Card! The 1888 E223 G&B Chewing Gum designation was produced by Green and Blackwell of New York City and is confirmed as the first true baseball gum issue in trading card history. The small series is extremely scarce and features multiple sepia images that were also released with the 1887 Four Base Hits and 1888 N403 Yum Yum Tobacco issues. Graded Authentic by SGC and noted as altered due to being rebacked, the offered Mickey Welch (Photo Portrait) pose was just uncovered after several decades in an established collection. "Smiley Mickey," a Class of 1973 Hall of Fame inductee casts a more subdued deadpan on this relic which is one of only five confirmed by the grading service. The perimeter displays moderate, but light corner chipping while period stamp impressions are noticeable to the right of the hurler's image. The reverse displays just a hint of green discoloration along the upper edge. An astounding nineteenth century artifact that stands apart from more common "N" tobacco issues.