Collecting Tips – Page 3

Why I Prefer My T206 in Graded Holders

Luke March 9, 2017 March 9, 2017

Among T206 collectors, grading can be a polarizing topic. There are some who would never buy an ungraded card, and others who can’t wait to crack out their newly acquired graded cards and put them into their binders. Then of course there is a large group of people who fall somewhere in the middle.

The reason that some prefer graded cards is the security of knowing both that the card is authentic, and a general price range for the card. Less experienced collectors wisely gravitate towards graded cards for the security and peace of mind they provide. I know a number of more experienced collectors who prefer their cards ungraded, either in a binder or card savers/top loaders.

I’ve seen many long-time collectors state that they choose to keep their cards raw because that is the way they kept their cards when they first collected cards as a kid. The way I collected cards as a kid I believe contributes to my fondness for graded cards. When I was a kid, I placed a lot of importance on the presentation of my cards. I routinely paid $2 a pop for those thick lucite screw-downs to house my favorite cards.

I liked the way they looked in the thick holders and I liked the protection the holder provided. The last reason is a little silly, but I’ll confess it here, among friends. I felt like my best cards deserved to be displayed in a grandiose way, and by putting them in a thick lucite holder, I was showing them the respect they deserved.

As ridiculous as that sounds when I say it out loud (or write it), 34 year-old me still treats my cards the same way 14 year-old me did. If I could have created my own custom card holders back then, they very well might have looked like PSA holders do now. Putting my cards into a graded holder that provides protection and notes the player’s name and back advertisement is definitely something I would have done as a kid if I had collected T206s instead of 1991 Score.

An additional reason I prefer my cards to be graded is that, as a back collector, I enjoy being able to look at the front of a graded card and see the back written on the label. It’s nice when thumbing through my own cards, but it also saves me a ton of time when scrolling through sale listings online. Another thing that graded cards have going for them is ease of sale. I have a small card budget, so when I buy a new card, I almost always need to sell something to offset the cost. Having the majority of my collection graded already graded makes it easy to list a few cards for sale and sell them quickly.

T206 and the Dreaded PSA (MC) Qualifier

Luke February 25, 2017 February 26, 2017

Although individual tastes vary, T206 collectors as a whole tend to dislike graded cards with qualifiers. PSA is the only grading company that uses qualifiers in their grades, however SGC takes the same card attributes into consideration for the most part. The different qualifiers that PSA may assign to a card are MC, OC, MK and ST. For the purposes of this article, I am just going to talk about the (MC) qualifier. (MC) stands for “mis-cut” and is given to any card that has some portion of printed area that is either cut off or right up against the edge of the card. The Schmidt portrait above received the qualifier not because the front is slightly off-center, but because a tiny portion of the ornate scroll on the adjacent card is showing on the left edge of the back of Schmidt.

Looking at prices realized, it’s often pretty clear that collectors look down their nose at cards with the MC qualifier. The general rule of thumb I’ve heard is that a qualifier knocks the card’s value down two full grades. So, if you have a card in a PSA 4 (MC) holder, you might expect it to sell for a the price of a PSA 2, or at least in the vicinity.

A recent post on net54baseball.com got me thinking about this topic. There were some vehement anti-qualifier posts that I thought were interesting. Among them:

“Honestly severely off centered/miscut cards bug me the most…I avoid those like the plague!”

“I avoid cards with qualifiers…currently have none in my collection.”

“You could not pay me to take a card with qualifier on it, if I can find any other card that doesn’t have a qualifier…”

I have to admit I was a little surprised by the passionate disdain evident in these comments. I’ve never felt too strongly one way or another about the (MC) qualifier, but it is clear that many do. One reason someone might feel this way is that cards with qualifiers sell for quite a bit less than a similar card of the same grade without the qualifier. I can understand people not wanting to spend money on a card that they will lose money on, but in this case I don’t really understand passing up a card with a qualifier for monetary reasons. Since they sell for less, that means you can buy them for less as well. There’s no need to lose money on resale if you paid a fair price to begin with.

I would assume there is also a bit of herd mentality going on here as well. If the majority of collectors avoid cards with qualifiers, maybe it’s less fun to show them off to friends who don’t appreciate them, they’re tougher to sell, etc.

The third reason is that the cards themselves turn people off. This is of course the main reason, evidenced by lower prices of qualified cards across the board. The thing is: all qualifiers are not created equal. The Schmidt and Lobert cards above are not nearly as off-center as the Graham below.

In my opinion, if people focused more on the card than the flip*, you would see more love for cards with qualifiers. In many cases, the reason for the qualifier does not affect eye appeal much at all, but many collectors will still shy away from those cards. Of course, many cards with qualifiers have substantial “flaws” or attributes that negatively affect their eye appeal. For collectors who only enjoy a perfectly centered card, the (MC) qualifier is useful, because it tells them they will probably not like the card. Although they are not the topic of this post, I can also understand collectors who don’t like writing or marks on their cards (cards like this would receive the MK qualifier. If you collect low or mid-grade T206s with common backs, there are plenty of well-centered cards out there, so there’s no reason to buy a card with centering issues. However, if you collect some tougher backs, you don’t usually have the same options. I was thrilled to add the Schmidt and Graham to my collection at great prices. I’m glad the qualifier doesn’t bother me, because I could be waiting years before I find a nicer copy of either front/back combo.

Although the negativity towards cards with the (MC) qualifier mystifies me a bit, I’m happy to keep buying the ones I like at great prices.

*flip is a slang term used by collectors to refer to the PSA label

Five Easy Ways to Spot Reprint and Counterfeit T206 cards

Luke February 18, 2017 February 19, 2017

If I could only teach one thing to a new T206 collector, it would be how to spot fakes. Learning this skill is absolutely crucial for a couple reasons. The main reason is pretty obvious: You don’t want to be spending good money on a reprint or counterfeit card. The second reason deals more with your overall approach to collecting the set. While it is possible to only buy graded cards, you will miss out on a lot of good deals (and great cards) if you don’t feel comfortable buying an ungraded card or group of cards.

As with most things, repetition is the best way to get comfortable with spotting fakes. I recommend buying a few lower grade, ungraded T206s from a reputable dealer when you first start out. Handling a few authentic cards is a great way to get used to what they are supposed to look and feel like. However, I think I learned more from scrolling through ebay than from handling cards. Looking through hundreds or thousands of authentic T206s on ebay every week really trained my eyes to spot anything out of the ordinary. Once you have looked at thousands of scans, you will just notice when something doesn’t look right and know immediately that you are looking at a reprint or counterfeit. To help you get to that point, here are five things to look for to help you spot fakes:

Surface Cracks

Not all reprints/fakes have these little surface cracks like the Cobb above, but the ones that do are easy to spot. If you ever see a card with these cracks, it’s fake. You will never see an authentic card that looks like that.

The Caption is Written in Black Ink

Like the Mathewson above, many fakes have the name and city caption written in black ink. Authentic T206 cards have the caption printed in brown ink. If you see a card that you are not sure about, and the caption looks too dark, trust your instincts and stay away.

Occasionally you will see a scan of an authentic T206 that appears to have a black caption. If scan settings are a little off, that can cause brown ink to look black. You won’t come across this too often, but I’ve seen it a few times.

The Ink is Too Dark

The Matty above is an example of this. There is a subtlety to the colors on an authentic T206. Often, a fake will have a harsh, heavy-handed look to the colors. It’s hard to define in writing, but easy to spot.

Suspiciously Even Corner Wear and Rounding

The Wagner below shows extreme corner rounding, and whoever did it made sure to grind down each corner an even amount. You will certainly see some authentic T206s with extreme and even corner wear from time to time, but typically the wear will not be so uniform.

The Font Used for the Caption Does Not Match an Authentic T206

The Wagner below is a good example. Some reprints were printed with a different font than the originals, and they are easy to spot.

How to Store Your T206 Collection?

Luke February 9, 2017 February 9, 2017

Deciding how to store your cards doesn’t seem like it should be difficult, but it definitely was for me when I first started collecting. There are a lot different options, each having advantages and disadvantages. It seems to me that the majority of people prefer their collection have a uniform look, but I know of a few who don’t worry about that. Graded cards are great for uniformity and protection. But if you only buy graded cards, you’ll miss out on some great ungraded cards. So, how to store your ungraded cards?

Collectors sometimes joke about having a touch of OCD that makes them feel the need to have all their cards in the same holders or a binder. I don’t know if it’s actually OCD or not, but I can relate to the feeling. I have always preferred uniformity in the presentation of my collection.

When I started collecting the T206 set in 2010, I decided I was going to collect the entire set in SGC holders. I even went so far as to think I’d like all of the cards to be graded SGC 30. I didn’t take long for me to realize that it would be incredibly tedious to only collect a certain grade and that I would miss out on a lot of great cards and/or great deals. I also realized that I was collecting cards, not numbers on a piece of paper. So then I started buying raw cards as well and keeping them in Card Savers that were the same size as the SGC cases. Then, I found some nice PSA cards and bought them. Then I decided that the Card Savers were too flimsy and I bought a bunch of screw-downs for the raw cards. That lasted a couple weeks before I got rid of them for taking up too much space and being too difficult to thumb through. Then I decided I would go with tobacco sized top loaders. They were both small and secure. That seemed like the perfect solution. But then I got annoyed with the top loaders because between the penny sleeve and top loader, there were two layers of plastic between the card and my eyes. The cards looked so much better without all the plastic. So, I figured I’d go back to Card Savers, but this time I picked the smaller size. This is where I am now after that somewhat ridiculous journey. I’m pretty happy with an assortment of graded cards and raw cards in Card Savers, but who knows how I’ll feel next year.

Let’s take a look at all the options and their pros and cons:

Keeping your cards in whatever holder they arrive in

Pros:

Easy
Low Maintenance
Cheap

Cons:

Different sizes of holders might make it harder to thumb though your cards
Tape or stickers on the holders might obscure images or text
May not provide as much protection as you’d like

Exclusively collecting graded cards

Pros:

Uniform look
Easier to sell when you need to
Maximizes value
Provides protection beyond most raw card storage options
The holders display player name and the back on the label, which is nice

Cons:

You often pay top dollar for your cards
You miss some good deals and great cards that are sold ungraded

Tobacco sized top loaders for your ungraded cards

Pros:

Small and easy to store
Sturdy
Easy to thumb through

Cons:

Two layers of plastic can dull the image and colors
Penny sleeve can get crinkled and distort the image a bit

Card Savers for your ungraded cards

Pros:

Thin and easy to store
One layer of plastic for maximum clarity of image

Cons:

Bendable plastic does not provide much protection

Thick plastic screw-downs for your ungraded cards

Pros:

Provides maximum protection
Great for displaying your cards
Image clarity is usually very strong

Cons:

Expensive
Take up a lot of space
Hard to thumb through (and if you do, you’ll scratch the holders)

Storing your ungraded cards in a binder

Pros:

Takes up less space than any other method
The set looks great displayed together
Less plastic
Less space between cards (as compared to setting a bunch of slabs on a table) means you can look at more cards at once

Cons:

Very little protection for your cards
Can be difficult to place cards into sleeves and remove them
Inserting or removing cards from pages can damage them (however if you use stamp tongs it’s pretty safe)

As you can see, there are many good options for storing your cards. You want to strike a balance between protection and presentation. Graded cards may be the best of both worlds, but ungraded cards in Top Loaders can be a great option as well. In my opinion, Card Savers and binders offer the best presentation. However, if you choose either of these methods, you need to be more careful when handling your cards.

I hope this overview will be helpful to some of you. Did I overlook any storage options that you use? I’d love to hear how you guys do it, so please leave a comment*.

* I know that my current comment system is not very user-friendly. I’m trying to figure out how to upgrade it. Right now it looks like I’m either going to have to learn how to code, or to pay someone to do it for me. Hopefully that is coming sooner rather than later.

Beware of Expensive “Missing Red” T206 cards

Luke December 19, 2016 December 18, 2016

T206 Beck missing red — Legit and very cool Beck missing red ink

A few years back, T206s that were missing a certain color got very popular and expensive. For a combination of reasons (printing process, the inks used, the way our eye processes colors, etc.) red is the easiest color to notice the absence of. During this “Missing Red” fad, a lot of cards were sold for high prices.

Some T206 were legitimately printed without red ink, while others were printed normally, and altered in the years after their production. The legit “missing reds” are cool cards and certainly worth paying a premium for due to their rarity. The problem is that neither PSA nor SGC is holdering missing ink cards at this time. There are a lot of cards out there in holders noted as “Missing Ink”, but they were all graded a few years back. So, if you want to add a T206 with missing red ink to your collection, you have to do the research to determine if it is legit on your own. In addition to doing your own homework, I highly recommend asking the opinion of someone you trust. I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have.

T206 Oakes Missing Ink — Adhesive residue covering the entire back

So, why are many of these “missing red” cards suspect? Red ink on a T206 is very prone to fading under certain conditions. Sunlight has been shown to fade red ink completely, while not altering the other colors nearly as much. If you see a card that is advertised as “missing red ink” but has a pinhole at the top, that is a very good indicator that the card was tacked to a wall and the red faded due to sunlight exposure. Also, many cards that appear to be missing red ink will have adhesive residue on the backs, or paper loss indicating that the card was once adhered to a scrapbook or some other surface. I believe that certain adhesives used back in the T206 era would cause the red ink to fade. It’s based on looking at thousands of scans and seeing patterns, but it is just my opinion. It’s also possible that all the “faded red” cards that we see with back damage or adhesive residue were displayed in the sunlight for years. If that is the case, then the sun is responsible. I think that exposure to sunlight and to certain adhesives are both likely causes.

T206 Huggins and Scott collage — Auctioned off in 2012, this awesome collage shows the effect that sunlight can have on a T206

The above collage was auctioned off by Huggins and Scott in 2012. Besides being an incredibly cool piece, it’s also very useful in that it shows us the effects of sunlight on T206 and other cards from the period. Take a look at the above Pickering, Grimshaw, and Lennox. Those three (and plenty of others) make it pretty clear that red ink can fade from the front of a T206.

There has been a lot of confusion over the years about these cards. Trustworthy sellers have sold faded cards as missing red and trustworthy grading companies have mistakenly slabbed faded and altered cards as “missing red”. Nobody’s perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. The grading companies have stopped slabbing these cards as “missing ink” and I don’t think we will see those same Auction Houses offer them for sale in the future.

T206 Griffith faded red — Paper loss, adhesive residue and fading

It’s important to use common sense when looking at cards that are touted as “missing ink”. These cards were printed over 100 years ago. A lot of things can happen to a piece of cardboard in 100 years. Occam’s razor applies here. If a card appears to be missing red ink, but it also looks a little faded, and maybe has some back damage, those are big red flags.

The main thing to keep in mind is that if the card is in really poor condition, the missing red ink is very likely to be due to an alteration, whether that be sunlight or chemical damage from an adhesive. If the price is low, go ahead and grab the card. They are cool oddities. But, before you spend hundreds of dollars on a card that supposedly is missing ink, do your homework and ask an experienced friend for help.

T206 missing red Harry Niles — Paper loss on the back caused by being glued to a scrapbook or display piece

Collecting T206: Choosing a Focus

Luke December 4, 2016 December 3, 2016

Figuring out exactly how you want to approach the set is easier said than done. It will most likely take some trial and error before you feel confident that you know what you want to collect. That being said, it definitely can’t hurt to go into it with an idea of how you want to get started. There are a ton of different ways to collect the T206 set. Let’s take a look some of the more common approaches:

Collect all 518 (or 520) fronts:
This is pretty self-explanatory. You pick a general condition preference, and work on getting one of each front. Some people stop at 518 cards, and others make it 520 which includes the St. Louis variations of Demmitt and O’Hara.

Collect all of the Hall of Famers:
Also quite simple. There are 76 cards in the T206 set that depict a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Most of us can’t afford a Plank or Wagner, so that drops the number to 74.

Collecting just one back:
Some people decide they just love the look of one particular back and try to get every card that was printed with it. I have a friend who has a complete Polar Bear set and another who is getting pretty close on an entire Tolstoi set.

Collecting one team or city:
This is a great way to enjoy the set. It makes a lot of sense if you are from or reside in one of the cities represented in the set. Some collectors take it a step further and try to collect their favorite team with a variety of backs.

Back collecting:
This can mean trying to find one copy of each back, or multiple copies of certain backs. The common denominator for back collectors is that they tend to prefer the uncommon backs, sometimes to the point that they have little interest in common backs.

Collecting a player back run:
The idea is to take one pose, figure out all the possible backs that exist for it and try to acquire them all. This can be a really fun way to collect and learn about the set. One collector has an epic back run of the Cobb red portrait. He has more than 20 different red Cobbs, all with different back advertisements.

Collecting a subset:
This is similar to collecting just one back, but deals with one specific series and/or factory number. For example, a collector I know has a complete Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 25 subset.

Most of the time, a new collector will fall into one of these three categories:

Just wants a few stars and/or notable players
Wants to collect a team or city
Wants to collect the entire set

Starting with a smaller goal can be a great way to get your feet wet and see what appeals to you. However, if you plan to tackle The Monster in its entirety, know this: Attempting to complete the set is a monumental task. Most people who start never finish. Completing the set requires a lot of money, patience and determination. Perhaps more importantly, it requires that your focus remains constant. I know quite a few collectors who set out to complete the set and and their focus never wavered. For others (me included), the journey isn’t quite so smooth.

When I began collecting the set, I wanted to complete it in right around Good Condition. I got up to about 175 cards and then one day I realized that I was just plodding along, checking off cards on my checklist, but not really enjoying it. What happened was I had started to be attracted to the tougher backs, but I couldn’t afford to buy any if I wanted to complete the set in the next 10 years. My budget was pretty small and I was adding a common once a week or so. I felt like it was going to take me forever to complete the set, and I wasn’t enjoying the journey much. Once I realized that my focus had changed, I sold off most of the commons and started over with a new plan. Nowadays, I am mainly a back collector and I don’t have any plans to complete the set anytime soon.

A change in focus isn’t a bad thing. After all, the only reason to collect anything is if you enjoy it. If you ever find yourself losing interest in your collecting goals, take a little break. Be aware that your wants may change as you learn more about the set and handle more cards. It could be as simple as your condition preferences changing along the way. It’s also possible that your collecting journey will take you to unexpected places. When I first caught the T206 bug I thought the fronts of the cards were really cool and figured I’d try to get one of each. I never expected that I would be collecting them based on the tobacco ads on the back. I also never imagined I’d love it so much that I’d end up writing about the set and sharing the fun with other collectors. But, here we are.

How to Use the PSA Pop Report

Luke November 23, 2016 November 19, 2016

I hope this post will be helpful to any and all collectors, but T206 collectors in particular definitely need to know this stuff. When you are dealing with some of the more scarce T206 backs, it can be very helpful to take a look at the Pop Reports.

The term “Pop Report” is short for “Population Report” and population just means all of the cards that PSA has graded. It’s a powerful tool which can help you understand the relative scarcity of a given card.

It is important to note that the PSA Pop Report only shows the cards that have been graded by PSA. It doesn’t show cards graded by SGC, BVG, or any other company and it doesn’t show ungraded cards. So, for one individual front/back combo, the Pop Report certainly does not tell you the whole story. But when you look at a lot of different cards and compare the data, you are going to have a very good idea about relative scarcity of your sample.

I think the best to way to show you how to use the report is with an example. I recently picked up this T206 PSA 3 Ossie Schreck with Cycle 350 back. Pretty sweet huh? Now, I want to know how many Schreck Cycle 350s have been graded and what is the highest graded copy.

Continue reading How to Use the PSA Pop Report

Understanding the T206 American Beauty backs: Overview (Part 1/4)

Luke February 9, 2017 November 16, 2016

Understanding the American Beauty backs can be a challenge, so I’m going to go into detail here and hopefully answer any questions that you may have. As always, please send me a message via the “contact” button if you have any questions or suggestions.

There are three distinct and different American Beauty backs:

-American Beauty 350 with frame (AB350w/f)
-American Beauty 350 no frame (AB350nf)
-American Beauty 460 (AB460)

The three backs represent distinct portions of the T206 print run, and are almost always mutually exclusive. This means that when a certain pose exists with one American Beauty back, it will not exist with any others (there are 19 exceptions to this rule within the AB350nf and AB460 checklists, which I will get to in Part Three).

Pricing:

In general, AB460 backs sell for the most, followed by AB350nf and then AB350w/f. I’ll explain why and talk about exceptions to the rule.

Scarcity:

This is how they rank on the T206resource.com back scarcity list:

Where each back lies in scarcity rankings is largely due to the size of each checklist. It makes sense that there are less AB350nf backs out there than AB350w/f, simply because the latter were printed with 5 times as many fronts. As you can see from the graphic below, AB460 is more scarce than AB350nf despite being printed on twice as many fronts (75 AB460 to 37 AB350nf). The reason for this is that there are some truly rare cards in the AB460 checklist. The same cannot be said for the AB350nf subset.

It’s important to note that this is a broad overview, and that individual cards within these series can range from very scarce to somewhat common. I will go into more detail in the rest of this series, but here is an example to show what I mean:

Gabby Street’s portrait can be found with a AB350w/f back. Gabby Street’s catching pose can be found with a AB350nf back. If you just looked at the overall scarcity rankings, you would assume that the catching pose would be the tougher card to find. In this case, that would be incorrect. PSA lists 8 Street catching with AB350nf backs and only 5 Street portraits with AB350w/f backs.

Stay tuned for Parts 2 through 4 of this series where I’ll build upon this framework by taking an in-depth look at each American Beauty back.

Thanks to Ted Z. for pointing out an error in the first draft of this article.

Thanks as always to the guys at T206resource.com for allowing me to use their checklists.

The Easiest T206 Back Run: Jiggs Donahue

Luke February 9, 2017 November 4, 2016

So, what’s the easiest back run to complete in the 150-350 series? Chicago White Sox first baseman Jiggs Donahue. Donahue (mis-spelled on his t206 as Donohue) is the only player from the 150-350 series that was not printed with a Hindu, El Principe de Gales or Old Mill back. All other subjects were printed with at least one of those backs, and often more than one.

Here is the complete checklist for Donahue:

Piedmont 150
Sovereign 150
Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25
Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30
Piedmont 350
Sovereign 350
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30

Donahue had a fairly nondescript career, and it helps to understand why he was not included in the aforementioned print runs. He played a little outfield and catcher in his first 3 seasons, but by the age of 22, was solely a first baseman. In 1904, his first year with the White Sox, he topped 100 games played for the first time. His career batting average (.255) and WAR (13.5) are very solid, but he rarely ranked among the top 10 in any category. In 1905, he was 7th in the A.L. in WAR for position players. He hit .287 that year, which was the 7th best average in the A.L. In 1907 he led the A.L. in games played and at bats. He never approached that number of games again. In 1908 he played just 93 and followed it up with 86 in 1909, his final year.

When production began in 1909, there was no way to know that it would be Donahue’s last year in Major League Baseball. He was just 29. So, his initial inclusion in the set makes sense. He was a young regular on one of the premier teams in the league. It also makes sense that he was omitted from the Hindu print run. For reasons unknown, only 102 of the 150 series subjects were printed with a Hindu back. So, 48 players were left off the Hindu print run. After his part-time duty in 1908, he seems like a logical candidate to be omitted. In 1910, when it came time to choose which players would be used for the EPDG and Old Mill print runs, Donahue was out of baseball and he was not printed with either back.

The thing that really doesn’t make sense is, “Why was he printed with a Sovereign 350 back when he was omitted from all of the other non-Piedmont/Sweet Caporal runs?” Only 80 subjects from the 150-350 series were used for the Sovereign 350 series. That means they chose not to use about half of the players from Print Group One. Many players who were still in the big leagues were printed with a Sovereign 150 back, but not with a Sovereign 350 back. Some players such as Bill Bergen, Wid Conroy, and Doc Crandall were left off the Sovereign 350 print run and then had another pose released later on in T206 production. So clearly, some players were left off the Sovereign 350 print run who were still popular Major Leaguers. It’s a mystery why Donahue was one of the players chosen for inclusion in the Sovereign 350 print run. Vive Lindaman, whose career ended in 1909 as well was pulled from production in 1910 right after being included in the EPDG print run, and right in the middle of the Piedmont 350 run.

Every front/back combo on Donahue’s checklist is readily available, making it a good choice for an easy introduction into collecting a back run. The card itself is one of the most beautiful from the 150-350 series in my opinion. Heck, maybe that is the reason they decided to continue to include it in 1910 print runs? We’ll probably never know the reason, but it is fun to speculate.

T206 Back Run 101

Luke November 17, 2016 November 2, 2016

Back runs are a fun way to collect tobacco cards and early caramel cards. Because there are so many different front/back combinations in T206, it’s a set that really lends itself to a back run (or two). Working on back runs is a good way to learn about the set in a hands-on way. It can also add some variety if your collection mostly consists of common backs. When your goal is to get one of each card, regardless of back, the main constraint is money. If you had enough money, you could collect the entire set in a month (Wagner and Plank would be tough, but there is a Plank on ebay as I write this) just by buying cards from ebay. Looking for certain front/back combos can take a lot more time that you might expect. A common back like Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25 can take forever to show up with the player you are looking for. This isn’t just a random example. I am currently working on a Dode Criss back run, and that particular back is giving me fits. Back runs teach you patience, which is a very good trait to have as a tobacco card collector.

So, if you wanted to give back runs a try, where should you start? Great question. More than any other collecting focus, choosing a back run is dependent on your budget. The most difficult subjects to complete a back run with are players from the 460 series. The reason is that the rarest and most valuable backs were printed at the end of the T206 print run in 1911. Subjects from the 350 series who were printed with a Drum back are also very tough to complete, and very expensive. If you can afford a Broad Leaf 460, Uzit, and Lenox back, then working on a back run of a 460 series subject could be an extremely fun project for you.

If your budget won’t allow for all of those backs, it doesn’t mean you can’t collect a back run. Players from the 150-350 series are a good choice because they consist of common to semi-tough backs. The Sovereign 150, EPDG, Hindu, and Old Mill backs for your run may take some searching to track down, but with some patience you can acquire them all. A player from the 350 series who was not printed with a Drum or Broad Leaf 350 back (Gray and Groom to name a couple) could also be a good choice.

The largest back run of a 150-350 series subject will consist of 12 front/back combos (Walter Johnson portrait and Clark Griffith portrait are a couple of examples). The smallest in term of front/back combos is Carl Lundgren Chicago. He was only printed with Piedmont 150, Piedmont 350, and El Principe de Gales. Lundgren may have the fewest cards to track down, but is by no means the easiest. The Piedmont 350 is tough to find, and expensive when you do.

Most other 150-350 subjects have between 9 and 11 possible combos. The reason for the disparity comes down to the Hindu, EPDG, and Old Mill backs. Some subjects like Frank Chance red portrait were printed with all three. Others were printed with just two of the three, or even just one. The Criss back run I mentioned earlier consists of 9 different backs. The reason it is 9 rather than 11 is that Criss was not printed with a Hindu or EPDG back. If you want to start with a simple project, choose a player from the 150-350 series with only 9 possible backs. Or, if you want to pick the easiest back run, choose the player that I will highlight in my next post.