Card front
Old Pete pitched during the dead ball era, when games used (and re-used?) a single leather sphere until it was stained with dirt and scuffed to hell. Their relatively solid interior got less and less springy at each contact; today's horsehide bounces off the bat by comparison.
Card back
The card bio calls Philly's home stadium, the Baker Bowl, "notorious" because of its hitter-friendly short right field and high wall. Winning an ERA title there would be like turning the same trick in Fenway Park today.
Known primarily as a Phillie, Alexander actually won less than 200 games in Philadelphia. He pitched another 8+ seasons in Chicago, and 3+ in St. Louis, rounding out his win total. The 1926 Cardinals finally provided his lone World Series title at age 39.
Value: This Alexander card cost $3 at a show in 2005 and should run $1 to $5. (As of this column, an eBay seller's asking $10 each for cards in the set, which seems excessive for a retrospective set with so-so photos.)
Fakes / Reprints: As a small-scale pizza chain, Shakey's didn't produce a lot of these cards, but I don't expect to see reprints in the market--it's just not interesting or valuable enough.
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