What is the order of rarity for T205 and T206 backs?

[zljones]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and also to collecting pre1920 cards. I have been rapidly building my T205 collection, and soon enough will be moving onto T206. I have been reading some of the threads about the backs of the cards and am becoming increasingly interested in the different backs. I also would like to gain further knowledge about the backs before I start spending money on T206s. What is the order of scarcity from most common to least common of the backs for T205 and T206? Beckett has a breif description but only for T206. I am especially wondering about T205, which are scare and which are not scarce.
From what I learned Lenox, Uzit, Hindu, Cycle, and Drum are some really scarce ones. While Piedmont and Sweet Caporal are super common. Can anyone give me an order or tell me what's not common with T205? Thanks

[4815162342]

There are lots of old threads detailing this exact information. Search is your friend! :)

[T206.org]

T206 Scarcity Order - As Maintained By a Few Board Members: http://www.t206.org/backs.php

[brianp-beme]

T205 back scarcity, as posted by our resident T205 expert Joshua a few years back:

Drum
Hindu
Broadleaf black
Piedmont Fact. 42
American Beauty black
American Beauty green
Cycle
Hassan Fact. 30
Sovereign
Honest Long Cut
Hassan Fact. 649
Sweet Cap. black fact. 42
Sweet Cap. black fact. 25
Sweet Cap. red
Polar Bear
Piedmont fact. 25

Drum is nearly impossible and several times harder than its counterpart in the t206s.

There are premiums paid for certain backs although anything Honest Long Cut and below are pretty common. Even Sovereign, Hassan 30, and Cycle only bring a small premium.

Over the years different backs have gone up and down in the populations and scarcity when new finds hit the market. A few years ago, Cycle and Sovereign seemed scarcer (and Piedmont fact. 42 was nearly unknown) but a few large finds pushed them to become more common (esp. Sovereign).

Hope this helps.

Joshua

[Leon]

Search is your friend :). That being said here is a list from Abravesfan and Jim R. that I just cut and pasted from another thread: (as for T205, go with Hindu being toughest and Drum being a bit easier but more valuable....the rest don't hold much of a premium)
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From Tim C (Abravesfan)-

The following list is the one Jim Rivera and I are currently working from. We have discussed at great length recently moving a few of the backs up or down the list but for now they remain put.

1 - Ty Cobb
2 - Old Mill (Southern Leagues) - Brown*
3 - Lenox - Brown
4 - Broad Leaf 460
5 - Drum 350
6 - Uzit
7 - Hindu - Red
8 - Lenox - Black
***Red Cross Type 1***
9 - Broad Leaf 350
10 - Blank Back*
***Coupon Type 1***
11 - Carolina Brights
12 - Piedmont 350-460 Factory No.42
13 - American Beauty 460
14 - Hindu - Brown
15 - American Beauty 350 (No Frame)
16 - Sovereign 460
17 - Cycle 460
18 - Tolstoi
19 - Sweet Caporal 350-460 Factory No.25
20 - El Principe De Gales
21 - American Beauty 350 (Frame)
22 - Sovereign 350 (Apple Green)
23 - Sweet Caporal 350-460 Factory No.42
24 - Cycle 350
25 - Old Mill (Southern Leagues) - Black
26 - Sovereign 150
27 - Sweet Caporal 150 Factory No.649 Overprint
28 - Sweet Caporal 350-460 Factory No.42 Overprint
29 - Old Mill (Base Ball Subjects)
30 - Polar Bear
31 - Sovereign 350 (Forest Green)
32 - Sweet Caporal 150 Factory No.25
33 - Sweet Caporal 350-460 Factory No.30
34 - Sweet Caporal 150 Factory No.30
35 - Piedmont 150 Factory No.25
36 - Piedmont 350-460 Factory No.25
37 - Sweet Caporal 350 Factory No.25
38 - Sweet Caporal 350 Factory No.30
39 - Piedmont 350 Factory No.25

This list is based solely on the overall scarcity of one back in relation to another. No emphasis or additional weight was placed on a particular subject or subset within a back group that is believed or perceived to be more difficult than the rest.

Each collector’s experience will be different and they may find that over a short period of time or with a given subject that their difficulty in acquiring different backs doesn’t exactly match this list.

Ty Cobb Tobacco
This back is controversial to say the least and many collectors do not feel it is a T206 while others believe it is. Compelling arguments have been made for both sides but neither have yet to produce sufficient evidence in our opinion to definitively show it is or isn’t part of the same set. Until that time it will remain on our list as it was originally classified as a T206.

Red Cross & Coupon Type 1
We don’t believe that either of these backs are part of the T206 set and haven’t included them on the current list for that reason. However many collectors do believe they are or possibly could be T206’s so we included them in this post, unnumbered, to show where we believe they would be ranked if included.

Old Mill (SL) – Brown & Blank Back
These two backs were not inserted into packs and both are essentially printers scrap. Some may not consider these necessary for a complete back run.
__________________

[CMIZ5290]

I think sovereign 460 backs are much easier to obtain than cycle 460's. I do know that cycle 460's bring much more money. Tolstoi's do as well.

[ullmandds]

As soon as someone/some-two or three people decide to go after all sov 460 set...they'll be a lot harder to find!

[CMIZ5290]

Another back that is way down on the list is polar bear backs. However, the rarity of them is extremely magnified on high grade t206s (psa 7's and up)

[zljones]

Excellent thanks guys for the replys. I tried looking this up in old archives before but it was alot to sift through, so I just started a new thread. But these are the exact answers I was looking for. I am loving this forum more and more everyday.

[Abravefan11]

Another back that is way down on the list is polar bear backs. However, the rarity of them is extremely magnified on high grade t206s (psa 7's and up)

The list Leon posted doesn't give any consideration to grading. Concerning the Polar Bear backs, their scarcity in high grade is due to how the cards were packed with the product. Most Polar Bear cards have some degree of staining that causes the card to be downgraded, even those that are high grade in every other respect. Finding a stain free NM or better Polar Bear is difficult.

[Gradedcardman]

I would agree with Kevin on the Cycle 460 backs versus the Sovereign 460's. The AB 460 backs I see generally with HOF's. I'll be looking in Phily this weekend and hope to see Ted and others from Net54.

[edhans]

With the recent discovery of Drum backs (both T205s and T206s), I believe Hindu has surpassed Drum as the most difficult T205.