The M116 Sporting Life set is one of the most beautiful and challenging issues of the pre-war era. Distributed between 1910 and 1911 by the Philadelphia-based Sporting Life weekly, the 288 cards were available by mail in exchange for coupons from the publication. With their delicate pastel tones and elegant portraits, the cards are as attractive today as they were more than a century ago.

This card features Cy Young, the winningest pitcher in baseball history. Young's career totals of 511 wins, 749 complete games and 7,356 innings pitched are records that will almost certainly never be broken. He threw three no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1904, and the annual award for the best pitcher in each league bears his name. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

The front presents a dignified bust portrait of Young in a lace-front jersey, set against a soft blue and pale green background, with "'Cy Young, Cleveland Amer." printed in the bottom border. This image dates from his late-career tenure with Cleveland. The reverse features the black-ink "When you think of Base Ball think of Sporting Life" advertisement, priced at "5¢ the copy" and promoting the paper as "the recognized authority on all base ball matters."

The card presents far better than its technical grade would suggest, with clean borders, attractive color and a bright, legible reverse. Light wear to the corners and edges is visible upon close inspection. A handsome example of the game's greatest pitcher from a premium pre-war issue. Graded VG 3 by PSA.