I could have called this article something like “Under-rated T206 Hall of Famers” and snuck a few more players in, but I felt like keeping all the prices in the same range was a good idea.
I’ve selected these ten poses for a couple reasons. First, you should be able to find a nice looking copy of each of these cards in GOOD to GOOD+ condition for $100 or less. Second, in my humble opinion, all of these poses are among the best in the set.
In no particular order:
George Davis
Davis is pictured in the final season of an illustrious career. A slick fielding shortstop, he also more than held his own with the bat. He put up a career batting average of .295 to go with a .767 OPS. He finished in the Top 10 in Offensive WAR seven times, and the Top Ten in Defensive WAR twelve times.
Fred Clarke (With Bat)
In my opinion, Clarke is very underappreciated by collectors. He managed the Pirates for 16 years, winning 4 National League Pennants, and winning the 1909 World Series. On top of that, he was a great hitter. He had 2678 career hits, a .314 batting average, and and OPS of .814. I could have just as easily picked Clarke’s Portrait pose, as it is also one of my favorites. However, I feel like the With Bat pose is particularly underrated.
Frank Chance (Yellow Background Portrait)
Frank Chance probably would not qualify for an article about underappreciated players. However, his Yellow Portrait is a “Super Print”. As a result, it is more common (and costs less) than his other two poses. A nice looking “2” can often be had at $100 or less.
Bobby Wallace
Wallace is another slick fielding shortstop. He finished first in the National League in Defensive WAR in 1901, 1902, and 1908. He placed in the Top 10 thirteen times.
Hugh Duffy
Duffy was a heck of a hitter. In 1894, his stat line looks like it came from a video game. He had 237 hits, 51 doubles, and 18 Home Runs. His batting average was .440 and his OPS was 1.196. Not surprisingly, all of those marks lead the National League.
Vic Willis (With Bat)
This is probably my favorite of the “with bat” poses. It’s especially cool because Willis was a .166 career hitter. Luckily, he was much better on the mound. He put up a career record of 249-205 to go with a 2.63 ERA. He placed first in WAR for Pitchers in the N.L. in 1899 and 1906, and finished in the Top 10 8 times. Like Clarke, Willis’ Portrait would have also been a great inclusion in this list. I wanted to get it in here somehow, so I used it as the header scan.
Jimmy Collins
Collins was a great third baseman and all around player. He hit just below .300 for his career (.294) and had a stellar glove. He finished first in WAR for Defensive Players in 1899 in the N.L and 1901 in the A.L.
Chief Bender (Trees in Background)
I’ve always thought it was a bit strange that Bender has two poses in the T206 set that are so similar. In my opinion, the “With Trees” is the superior pose, aesthetically speaking. It would probably be a stretch to include his Portrait in this list, but you should be able to snag a nice looking lower grade copy of this pose for less than $100.
Clark Griffith (Portrait)
This is one of my favorite portraits in the set. I love the dark orange background. When this card came out in 1909, Griffith was managing the Cincinnati Reds and his pitching days were behind him. On the hill he put up a 237-146 record to go with an ERA of 3.31. He managed in the big leagues for 20 years, putting up a record of 1491-1367.
Elmer Flick
Flick really only played in the majors for 10 seasons (in his last three seasons he played only 9, 66, and 24 games respectively) but he made those 10 seasons count. He hit .313 for his career and OPS’d .834. He was a threat on the base-paths as well, with 330 career steals. He placed first in Offensive WAR in the N.L. in 1900, and the A.L. in 1905.