Despite being ranked right in the same neighborhood as Broad Leaf 350 and Carolina Brights on back scarcity lists, Blank Backs aren’t viewed in the same light by many collectors. There are a few obvious reasons for this. First, Blank Backs were not distributed in tobacco packages like the other T206 backs were. They are examples of Printer’s Scrap. The fronts were printed as normal, but for some reason, the sheet was “scrapped” prior to the backs being printed. Because production on these cards was not completed, every Blank Backed T206 is hand-cut. Presumably most of the scrapped T206 sheets ended up in the garbage, but the ones that survived were likely either rescued from a dumpster by some neighborhood kids, or brought home by a worker in the American Lithographic Company. If you’d like a longer, more complete explanation of T206 Printer’s Scrap, check out the link below:
Blank Backs were not released in tobacco products. As a result, many collectors lump them in with all other types of Printer’s Scrap and prefer to focus on the tougher backs that have an advertisement on them. Because Blank Backs are all hand-cut, they can’t receive a numerical grade. For collectors who prefer mid-grade or higher cards, the idea of adding a SGC Auth or PSA Auth T206 Blank Back may not be as appealing as buying a PSA/SGC 4 Carolina Brights back for instance.
Another aspect to people’s hesitancy is that there is incomplete information out there about Blank Banks in comparison to the other backs. For one thing, Blank Backs were not limited to one series. There are examples that I am aware of from the 150-350 Series (Proofs), 350 Only Series, and the 350-460 Series. The Pop Reports are also less helpful when it comes to Blank Backs than the other backs. SGC has a number of cards labeled as “T206” that are either a card that has a Blank Back, or a card with the back so damaged that they couldn’t tell what it was, and just had to label is with a generic “T206”.
I can totally see why some people shy away from Blank Backs, but I don’t really understand why back collectors don’t embrace them more. Back collectors generally value scarcity and “the hunt” above all else. When it comes to scarcity, it doesn’t get much better than Blank Backs. Not all T206 poses exist with a Blank Back, and the ones that do will generally have only one or two known copies. In other words, if you are searching for the rarest back for a give pose, there’s a decent chance that you’ll be looking for the Blank Back. For example, the Crawford above is the only known copy with a Blank Back. When looked at in that light, Blank Backs seem like a pretty good value.
Another great thing about Blank Backs is that copies in great condition are a great value. The market value of a really nice looking Blank Back is not that much higher than a copy in rougher shape. I guess the reason for this is that all Blank Backs are graded “Authentic” and thus all copies look the same on paper. On one hand, that makes sense, but on the other, not so much. Obviously there are a good number of “flip collectors”, but for the most part I think collectors are buying the card rather than the holder. If you follow auctions, you know that cards that are well-centered are fetching record amounts. Clearly people are buying based on eye appeal, but when it comes to Blank Backs, there seems to be an inefficiency in the market.
