[Leon]

When folks ask me about advertising on the forum I usually answer, if it is good for the members, good for the board owner and good for the company or person sponsoring it, then we have something we can talk about. This is certainly one of those scenarios. Is it good for our members (do any collect T206?), is it good for the owner (Invest in Baseball is an advertiser and this is a sponsored ad) and is it good for the person or company sponsoring it, the answer is yes. Our member, Steve Woe.lfel (hi Steve) has decided to part with his T206 near set. I wish Steve, Invest In Baseball and all of our members the best of luck in these auctions. Here is a blurb they put out -


1909-11 T206 Baseball Cards Now Available


Arguably, this is the greatest baseball card set of all time. It is the tobacco card set from over 100 years ago nicknamed "The Monster". To put some perspective on the timeframe, on opening day of the 1910 season, President William Howard Taft declared that baseball would officially become our "National Pastime". That is the backdrop for a massive set that essentially began the history of the hobby while also helping to create the heroes of the game.

T206's were sold as a premium item in tobacco products from 1909 through 1911. Almost all the cards have only a tobacco advertisement on the back promoting the most popular brands of the American Tobacco Company. So, when you turn over a T206, it might say "Piedmont", "Old Mill", "Sweet Caporal" or some other name. There are 16 varieties in all and include numerous scarcities, as well as multiple versions of many players.

Invest In Baseball has acquired a set with over 500 T206's and they are now up for $.99 No Reserve Auction. Each card is graded and authenticated and the collection includes both the famous and the infamous. This is a great opportunity for collectors to own a piece of 100 year-old baseball history. Let's look at some of the Hall of Fame members who played the game a century ago...

> Frank "Home Run" Baker - Played on three Philadelphia Athletics World Championship teams and led the AL in Home Runs for four consecutive seasons (1911-14).

> "Tinkers to Evers to Chance" - In a 1910 poem by Franklin Pierce Adams, this line was immortalized and the legends of Frank Chance, Johnny Evers & Joe Tinker were set in place. These three players comprised the double-play trio of the Chicago Cubs, a team that won four pennants and two World Series in a five-year span. All are in the Hall of Fame and each of their cards are part of this offering.

> Jack Chesbro - In 1904, for the New York Highlanders, he won 41 games with an ERA of 1.82...maybe the best individual pitching effort in history.

> Ty Cobb - Along with Babe Ruth, one of the two greatest players in the early days of baseball. His career spanned both the "dead ball" and "live ball" eras and his lifetime BA of .366 still stands as the all-time record. Elected to the first Hall of Fame class in 1936, his "Green Portrait" card is the most desirable and is part of this collection.

> Sam Crawford - Played alongside Cobb for many seasons with the Tigers and still holds the major league record with 309 Triples.

> Walter Johnson - In the discussion for the greatest Pitcher of all-time, "The Big Train" won 417 games for the Washington Senators from 1907-27.

> Nap Lajoie - This legendary 2B had over 3,000 Hits and when he won the AL Triple Crown in 1902, his BA was .426.

> Christy Mathewson - Another of the original five to be part of the 1936 Hall of Fame class, this Giants hurler won 373 games from 1900-16.

> Tris Speaker - This speedy OF had a lifetime BA of .345 and led the Red Sox to two World Series Championships. He also managed the Indians to a title in 1920.

> Cy Young - You understand how legendary a player must have been to have an award named after him. He was at the end of his career when these cards were issued and his lifetime mark of 511 Wins will never be challenged.

Leaving the Hall of Fame aside, you'll also find some amazing stories behind other cards in this great collection. Included are Ed Cicotte, the White Sox Pitcher implicated in the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal. And you'll find Fred Merkle, the Giants player who cost them the pennant with a base-running mistake in 1908. For the rest of his 16-year career, he was called "Bonehead".

Every piece of cardboard tells a story.

**** Please note- "The Woelfel Collection" was painstakingly pieced together over the years, looking for just the right unique version of each of the cards in the T206 set. Remarkably well centered with eye appeal at the forefront - this incredible collection is offered at $.99 No Reserve Auctions at the following link:

http://stores.ebay.com/Invest-In-Bas...&_sop=12&_sc=1


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