Old Mill – Page 2 – That T206 life

The Infamous T206 Ed Walsh with Blue Old Mill Back

Luke January 29, 2017 January 29, 2017

In August of 2012, word started circulating on net54baseball.com that an Old Mill with blue ink had been found at the National. Initially most people thought it was a joke, but within a couple days a picture was posted of the card inside an SGC holder. Many long-time collectors who had inspected it in person agreed that it looked legitimate. SGC thought enough of the card to label it as a “Blue Back”. At this point, many forum members who had only viewed camera phone pictures deferred to the collectors who had seen the card in person. Still, many were not convinced. Some thought the card looked good but that the ink could have faded or been exposed to chemicals. A member posted a reprint Old Mill back which had been printed with blue ink side-by-side with the back of the Walsh (shown below). There were also a small group of posters who agreed the heavy and even rounding of the corners gave them pause, as many artificially aged reprints exhibit suspiciously even corner rounding.

In December 2012, the card showed up for auction via Huggins and Scott. It debuted with a hefty $15,000 minimum bid. It sold but only received one bid. The story died down a bit after that. In November 2013, the card showed up for auction again, this time via Heritage Auctions. It sold for $14,340 this time. Forum posters noted how the new owner had listed it on Heritage’s website with a $30,000 price tag. At this point, the card kind of fell off the face of the earth. People stopped talking about it, and it hasn’t been offered for sale since. When the discovery was first publicized, collectors everywhere pulled out their Old Mill backs to give them another look, just in case they might have a blue back. Nobody found one. It’s hard to imagine that only one single card from a factory-cut sheet would have survived. It’s absolutely possible of course, just unlikely. If you look closely at the edges of this card, you can make the case that it was originally hand-cut. If it was, that would make a lot of sense. If a sheet was printed with blue ink and then scrapped, you would expect most cards on the sheet would have remained in the garbage and star players like Walsh would be most likely to survive.

There is no question that the front of this card is legit. It shares some printing flaws with a few other Walsh cards printed in 1910. T206 back collector Scott Stiffler posted this comparison of his card (the SGC 40) with the Blue Old Mill to show the print anomalies that the two cards share. They both have a weak border on the left and right sides and little red dots on the “I” in Chicago and on his forehead. The Piedmont 350 below exhibits the same weak border on the right hand side as well as the red dot at the top of the “I”.

Controversy is likely to follow this card until another Old Mill with Blue Ink is found (if that ever happens). I tend to trust the advanced collectors who have held it and pronounced it the real deal. I also trust that SGC would have done their due diligence in making sure the card was not re-backed or altered in any way that could be detected. My biggest concern about the card personally is this: If it were re-backed, it would probably look just like this because the person who did it would want to round the corners to try and smooth the edges and avoid detection.

I’d love to see it in person someday. Until then, I’ll remain the slightest bit skeptical, like most others who have only seen the scans online.

Back Scarcity in the T206 150-350 series Part Three: Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649

Luke February 9, 2017 December 7, 2016

The Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 subset is quite an anomaly in comparison to other Sweet Caporal backs. The American Tobacco Company obviously wanted to start including cards in their Sweet Caporal product that was coming out of factory 649. It’s interesting that they selected so few cards to be released in this way. The Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 subset consists of only 34 cards.

I can’t figure out any reason why these particular players were selected. I’d guess it was probably just a matter of selecting a Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30 sheet that was handy. The red bar overprint and the new text reading “FACTORY No 649 1st DIST N.Y.” was printed on the back of the SC 150/30 sheet. At the time, tobacco companies were required by law to indicate which factory any card or other piece of advertising media came from.

Each card in this subset is fairly easy to obtain, although if you are looking for a certain player it may take you a little while to track one down. Like Sovereign 150 backs, they can be quite tough to find in higher grades. The prevailing theory on why this is the case goes like this: Cards released in 1909 were most likely handled by kids much more than cards released in 1911, when production of the set was winding down. In 1911, some of the kids who played with the cards in 1909 may have gotten bored with them. When production stopped in 1911, a lot of the cards probably got put in a drawer and forgotten.

The Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 subset itself does not offer any rarities, but it does have a strong correlation to some rare Old Mills that were printed soon after. 30 of these 34 poses were printed with Old Mill backs in 1910, and those 30 are some of the toughest Old Mills in the set to find. Any theories as to why would just be speculation, but it’s possible that this sheet was used for the SC 150/649 backs for some period of time while the Old Mill backs were being printed. If so, these 30 poses may have started the Old Mill print run late, resulting in lower Pop numbers for these 30 poses. It’s fun to speculate, but I don’t think we’ll ever know exactly why these 30 poses are more scarce with Old Mill backs than other 150-350 subjects.

There does not appear to be any similar correlation with El Principe de Gales or Sovereign 350 backs. The 4 players who were not printed with Old Mill backs are Powers, who is a 150-only subject, and Ewing, Jones, and Spencer, who are all members of the “Elite 11”, a group of subjects who were pulled very early in the 350 series. It’s interesting that all 30 of the remaining players were selected to be printed with Old Mill back, but only 22/34 were used for EPDG and only 10/34 for Sov350.

Thanks as always to t206resource.com for the use of their checklists.

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.

Ever noticed that some T206 cards with 350 backs have a “washed out” look to them?

Luke February 9, 2017 November 27, 2016

Me too, so I figured I’d write a post about it. This is a phenomenon that most advanced collectors are aware of. However, I don’t think there hasn’t been much written about it.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ll get right to it. Some cards from the 350 series have an unfocused, “washed out” look to them that is easy to notice once you know what you are looking for. Not all cards with 350 backs can be found with the washed out look. From what I have seen, only poses from Print Group 1 have exhibited this print anomaly. So, in theory, there should be 146 subjects that exist with a washed out image. The way I arrive at that number is taking the entire checklist of Print Group 1 (thanks to t206resource.com for the checklist) which is 159 subjects, and subtracting the 13 subjects that are 150 only poses.

“Washed out” images can be found on fronts with these backs:

Old Mill
Piedmont 350
Sovereign 350
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30

It’s really unclear at this point how this may have happened. Not all Print Group 1 cards with the above backs have washed out images. I talked with a friend recently who has a theory that there were three distinct print runs in the 350 series and that small changes were made before the printing of each. I’m very intrigued by this idea and I plan to look into it further. If I’m able to find anything of substance, I will be sure to write about it. This theory would explain the washed out image phenomenon pretty well. It would explain why some Old Mills from Print Group 1 have great focus and vivid colors, while others are unfocused and have muted colors. It seems that at some point during the 350 series run on Print Group 1, that the printing presses got out of whack for a little while and created this washed out look. That could have been at the tail-end of the 350 print run of PG1, or at the beginning and the printing presses were fixed for subsequent print runs.

I find it hard to explain exactly what we are looking at. The Old Mill Overall at the top of this post is clearly missing some of the darker colors. The red, blue, brown and black are all darker and more crisp on the SC 150/25 copy. Meanwhile, the Hahn Old Mill below actually looks darker than it’s Sov150 counterpart. Both Old Mills clearly have the same washed out look however. If anyone who has a better understanding of the printing process can shed some light on what created this “washed out” look, I would very appreciative.

Many collectors actively avoid these cards, preferring 150 backs with crisp images. I may be the only one, but I really like the washed out look. If these cards ever gained popularity, I think we would find that they are somewhat tough to find in general and that the really extreme examples are quite scarce.

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.

Back Scarcity in the T206 150-350 series: Part One

Luke February 9, 2017 October 28, 2016

In this series of blog posts, I’m going to take an in-depth look at the different backs that make up the 150-350 series (also referred to as Print Group 1). The truly rare backs were not printed until the 350 series (Broadleaf 350 and Drum) and 460 series (Broadleaf 460, Lenox, Red Hindu, and Uzit). Because the 150-350 series is made up of backs which are considered relatively common, many very tough front/back combinations fly under the radar.

Cards from Print Group 1 can be found with the following backs:

Hindu
Piedmont 150
Sovereign 150
Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25
Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30
Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649
El Principe de Gales
Piedmont 350
Sovereign 350 Forest Green
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25
Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30
Old Mill

Many of the most iconic portrait cards in the T206 set were printed in the 150-350 series. Finding a card with one of these backs is easy, but finding a specific front/back combo can sometimes be quite difficult. For example, if you want a Green Background Ty Cobb portrait with the scarcest back, you need to find one with an Old Mill back. It might seem like this should be an easy task because Old Mills seem pretty common, but it could take you a few years to locate one.

I’m going to start with a very broad overview and drill down into the individual backs to see if we can find any patterns that will help us understand the 150-350 series better.

By the Numbers

There are 159 cards in the 150-350 series. Here is the checklist (thanks to the fine folks at t206resource.com).

Below is a breakdown of the backs that make up the 150-350 series (also known as Print Group 1 and abbreviated here as PG1):

As you can see, the vast majority of PG1 is represented with these backs:

Piedmont 150 (98%)

Sovereign 150 (94%)

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25 (96%)

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30 (96%)

The percentage is a bit less with these backs:

Piedmont 350 (91%)

Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25 (83%)

Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30 (84%)

Old Mill (81%)

The percentage is much lower with these backs:

Hindu (64%)

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 (21%)

El Principe de Gales (51%)

Sovereign 350 Forest Green (50%

In some cases, the reasons for differing percentages are known. Often, certain players were traded or they retired during production of the set. These players were removed from subsequent printings. For the most part, this is why players are missing from Piedmont 350 and both Sweet Caporal 350 print runs.

In other cases, the reasons are not known. Hindu backs were issued in 1909 near the start of T206 production. They had access to the same 150 subjects that were used for the Sovereign 150 printing, but only used 102 of them. For the the El Principe de Gales print run beginning in 1910, only 81 poses from PG1 were used. Likewise, only 80 PG1 players were used for the Sovereign 350 print run.

Were these omissions chosen randomly? Or is there a pattern? Let’s find out.