Looking for Info on T212s-1910

[AndyG09]

Hello friends. I am getting a bit closer to 518 on the Monster and was looking at where to possibly go next as the pickups begin to slow down. The looks of T212s have me intrigued. I have done some research on old threads and in Lipset's Encyclopedia and understand the 1909s are going to be a too big of a bear for me to hunt. The Weaver and Million in the 1911s are pushing me to the 1910 175 subjects. I had a few questions and was hoping some of you might share your expertise.

1. What are the tough cards if any?
2. What should I expect to pay for commons or tougher ones?
3. On Ebay, they look pricey and rough for the price. Besides our BST, where is a decent place to pick up a few?
4. I understand some come hand cut. Is that rare or common?
5. Do stamped backs add much of a premium?

Please feel free to share any other information I have forgotten to ask about. Thank you very much in advance!

Best,

Andy

[asoriano]

Frank Miller, San Francisco will be a tough one. I believe a family member hoards his cards.

Check out post #40 in this thread:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=131567&highlight=miller+obak

[AndyG09]

Thanks Turner. I remember seeing that hoard now, but didn't realize they were 1910s. That kind of info is much appreciated. Hope all is well with you!

Best,

Andy

[wonkaticket]

Here are some quick thoughts....I'll try to add more later.

There are a few tougher cards but nothing to crazy in the 175 from 1910.

There are certain ad backs that are much tougher the toughest being Just Right back which is really only found on two players that I'm aware of.

Prices are all over the place and you will pay more for EX commons compared to T206's.

Stamped backs aren't pulling more that I know of.

Hope this helps Obaks are an amazing set!

Cheers,

John

[Tim Kindler]

Andy,
If you have them or can get them, VCBC (Vintage and Classic Baseball Collector) magazine had some really in depth articles and back surveys in issues #3, #12, and #26.
Tim

[tbob]

Having put together the 1909, 1910 set of 150, 1910 set of 175 and 1911s, card by card, I think I may be able to offer a little help here.
Asoriano is correct about the difficulty in obtaining a 1910 Frank Miller. It is even more difficult to try and complete the 1911 Zeenut set because of the same Frank Miller. Luckily I secured a nice Obak Miller a while ago and was able to pay through the nose to grab a Zeenut Miller in a private sale. Bottom line- look through auction house auctions to try and find a Frank Miller, buy the lot and sell off the others you don't need.
I have also found that buying groups of 5-10 Obaks at a time, is a good financial move. Be sure and check out those PSA 3s and 4s and SGC 40s and 50s because you find some creaseless, well-centered and undergraded cards, particularly from a while back when SGC was dropping the grades on Obaks with a factory blue stamp (numbers) on the back from say a 70 to a 30 or 40. Now SGC doesn't decrease the grades for this so there are some beautiful Obaks in older slabs which are great buys.
I was able to put the 1910 sets together by buying the scarcer cards in decent condition and then constantly upgrading and selling the lesser condition ones. I am not sure how this will work in today's ebay economy but it was effective. Watch out for Jewish players who carry a premium and those minor leaguers like Peckinpaugh who made a splash in MLB.
I highly recommend the Obak sets, I think they are beautiful cards and got me interested in PCL and NWL players and teams, which lead to collecting sets like D311 Pacific Coast Biscuit (also beautiful) and ultimately the early Zeenut sets.
There is no premium for any stamps on the back although Buck Barker (hobby pioneer) inscribed the back of some 1910s with tiny but copious stats, and there may be some collectors who would offer a premium for these.
Good luck and happy collecting!

[AndyG09]

John, Tim, and Tbob- Thanks a lot for the information. They are a very intriguing issue. They have a sweet look to them for sure. I guess I'm going to have to be a bit more patient in finding them reasonably as I am used to the frequent pace I am able to pick up the fair priced T206 I need. Ebay seems to be full of overpriced T212s (and of course 206s too) right now. I really appreciate your help and am ready to make a go at these. Thanks again and Happy New Year!

Best,

Andy