In 1936, the National Baseball Hall of Fame inducted its first five members. Amongst those individuals was Christy Mathewson, and sadly, he was also the first member to be inducted posthumously. “Big Six” played 17 seasons with the New York Giants, and such was his impact upon not only the game of baseball but the American sporting psyche, that Packard saw fit to award his widow this Packard Deluxe Eight Club Sedan in 1949 in recognition of his achievements. Mrs. Mathewson retained ownership of the Packard up until she passed away in 1967. The car has since passed through the hands of several meticulous owners, but the time has come for it to once again head off to a new home. It is located in Houston, Texas, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Packard has reached $9,900, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is also a BIN option available, and this has been set at $28,000.
The Packard is finished in Coronet Blue Poly, and it really is a stunning car. It is hard to spot any flaws on the car’s exterior. The vehicle had no history of accident damage, but the owner says that the original paint was looking tired. As a result, all trim items were removed, and the Packard was treated to a full repaint in its original color. The paint now has a beautiful depth of shine, while there are no signs of any dings or dents. The trim and chrome appear to be faultless, while the original glass is free from any obvious scratches, chips, or cracks. The Packard is a rust-free vehicle, with the frame and the underside still wearing its original factory undercoat. When the owner chose to replace the carpet, the floors and the trunk also received a repaint to help the vehicle to maintain this status. Apart from donating the car to Mrs. Mathewson, the company and the dealer loaded it up with optional extras. These items include the “Goddess of Speed” hood ornament, door-mounted exterior mirrors, fog lights, stainless steel trim rings on the wheels, hubcap medallions, rear fender skirts, back-up lights, and a window-mounted vent shade set. This latter option is quite a rare one, and the set does appear to be in very nice condition.
The owner doesn’t provide any overall photos of the Packard’s interior, but the detailed photos that he provides paint a pretty impressive picture. The original carpet has been replaced with square-weave wool, while it appears that the seat covers might also have been replaced. The door trims look to be in nice condition, while the headliner is said to be perfect. All of the trim and plated components shine beautifully, with no signs of any pitting or deterioration. The star of the show has to be the timber trim on the door caps, the window surrounds, and the dash. This hasn’t aged at all throughout the past 71-years, with no signs of any cracks or wear in the finish. The optional extras didn’t stop on the outside of the Packard, because the interior was treated to a push-button tube AM radio, a tinted and tilt anti-glare rearview mirror, a deluxe ivory steering wheel, courtesy lights, turn signals, a cigar lighter, an ashtray, a trip odometer, along with a heater and defroster. As an added bonus, everything inside the vehicle is said to work exactly as it should.
Powering the Packard is the 288ci flathead straight-8 engine, producing 135hp. This is hooked to a 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The vehicle has traveled a genuine 28,331 miles, and it would appear that the owner holds documentation to verify this. The car is a numbers-matching classic, and it has recently been treated to some mechanical TLC to keep it running and driving well. This work has included the fuel tank being cleaned and sealed, while the rest of the fuel system has been rebuilt. The cooling system has been treated to a full rebuild, as have the brakes. The oil pan did have a leaking gasket, so the gasket has been replaced to address that problem. The owner claims that every aspect of the Packard operates exactly as it would have when it was new. A really nice score is the fact that the owner managed to locate the original teletype Build Order Sheets from the glove compartment and the fuel tank, and these are included in the sale.
When it comes to classic cars, I tend to be a bit careful about speculating on how much the value could potentially be impacted if that particular vehicle has counted somebody famous amongst its owners. This 1949 Packard hasn’t had a famous owner, but it does have a very interesting back-story. Treating it as an unmolested and largely original vehicle without any potential famous connections, there can be no arguing that it is an impressive car. The owner states that only 3,375 examples of the Deluxe Eight Club Sedan were produced in 1949, which would seem to gel with the figures that I have been able to find. That means that these are not a car that will come onto the market very often. When they do, really good examples will generally sell for somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000. That means that if we ignore the possible historical connections with this car, the BIN price still looks to be very competitive. If you are a true baseball enthusiast, then maybe the back-story will make it an even more attractive proposition. What do you think?
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