A T206 "Find" & purchase! (HOFer scans added Post 36 & 37 on 12-19)

[GoldenAge50s]

FINALLY--I can say I own some PreWar tobacco cards! As you can tell by my avatar, my collection consists of cards from my boyhood days (late '40's) on up to modern, although I did own a small OJ collection which I sold several yrs ago.

Up until now, I am probably the oldest Board member (almost 70) to NOT have had any PreWar in my possession to post about!

I just secured a collection of 136 T206's after over 2 mos of negotiation and received them Tues. The cards have never been in hobby circulation. They originally belonged to a Minor Lg pitcher by the name of Roy Mellinger, who played for the Cedar Rapids Rabbits in the Central Association from 1914-1917. Around 1970 the cards were 'willed to" & put away by the person I bought them from.

I've spent the last 2 days going thru them and here are some of the facts you might be interested in:

(1) 135 cards are either Piedmont or Sweet Cap 150--1 card is Pied 350!

(2) Vast majority are P150 Fac 25--2nd most are SC150-Fac 25--and 12 are SC Fac 30--4 cards are SC 150 Fac 649 OverPrints

(3) 16 teams represented---No SL's & no exotic backs.

(4) There are 20 diff HOFers represented on a total of 26 all different cards and all 136 cards are different--no dupes!

I want to give a big THANK YOU to T-Rex Ted Z, who I prevailed upon for advice & value assessment, which he graciously gave w/ his time & helpful EMs, before I decided to take the plunge & buy!

Here are the 8 Detroit cards that were included---They are typical of the overall condition of the collection---I welcome any comments or questions and am excited to finally be able to post about something I HAVE rather than something I wanted!

[Jacklitsch]

Nice!!!

BTW Joe P. is 76.

[cfc1909]

Good job -looks nice...

[GoldenAge50s]

---but Joe has PreWar cards doesn't he?

[Anthony S.]

Wow, that's quite a big toe you dipped into the vintage waters for the first time. 136 cards. Assuming very few dupes, you suddenly have more than 25% of set. The provenance adds to the experience, as well. And very nice condition, I might add. Congrats.

[GoldenAge50s]

Thanks guys!---I was very happy I could swing the deal!

Anthony--

They are all diff--no dupes!

[barrysloate]

The ones you showed look pretty high grade- are they all that nice? Great score!

[Jacklitsch]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

---but Joe has PreWar cards doesn't he?

You are indeed corrrect. I misread your post. My bad.

[toppcat]

Nice haul-the colors look really sharp.

[GoldenAge50s]

Steve--

One of my cards is Jacklitsch--and his first name is Jack??

Barry--

I have several that are not as nice, but the 8 Detroit cards are pretty typical. What you can't see in scans, of course, are the small crease in a given card. I would say most will graded in the 3 -4 range.

[mrvster]

FRED...

YOUR DONE!!!LOL...THE MONSTER HAS YOU.....NICE JOB AND TED IS A LIVING LEGEND!!!!...

BTW...ANY "FREAKS"???OR PRINTER SCRAP??

PEACE

JOHNNY

[slidekellyslide]

Very nice Fred. I take it you are friends with KNH from over on the memorabilia board? He's shown some nice photos from the Mellinger collection recently.

edited to add: and a nice bonus for you Fred is that it's reasonable to think this collection was put together when the cards were first distributed and have never been in hobby circulation.

[Leon]

You dipped your toe in and got your whole leg wet. Nice job!! ...now you only have about 75% left and you are done. Those look really nice too. Sort of between armpit and arrogance.......

[GoldenAge50s]

Johnny---

No weird cards --maybe 2-3 w/ a very slight OC color registration, but no noticeable transfers or scrap!

Dan---

Yes, I've known Kary for a few yrs from EBay & another Board I frequent, where he asked some advice about the collection a few months ago & we progressed from there. Like most cyber-friends, we have never met. I bought the cards sight unseen thru trust & confidence in his scans & descriptions & him as a person!

[Jacklitsch]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

Steve--

One of my cards is Jacklitsch--and his first name is Jack??

Fred Jacklitsch

[GoldenAge50s]

Thanks Steve---my cklist sheet that I received has Jack for a 1st name--I thought that was strange!

I just looked him up--something else eerie!

Frederick (same as me) JackLitsch died July 18 1937 in NY (Brooklyn)--I was born July 18 1940 in NY! (but not Brooklyn!) HMMM!

[ethicsprof]

congratulations!
it' great to have another lover of the Monster on board!

best,
barry

[T206.org]

Great pickups, Fred! Let's see the HOF'ers.

[jmk59]

Wow Fred. What nice nice cards. I collect Detroit players, so I'm glad you decided to group the Detroiters as your example. I just can't get over how good they look. They are the perfect balance between having the technical looks of a high grade but the slightly mellowed look of very light wear. Just check out the Jennings.

No wonder we are all hooked on collecting. No dang wonder.

Joann

[Jason Carota]

Congrats on the wonderful find, Fred. The Detroit cards look great.

[teetwoohsix]

Some day I wish to get a huge score all at once like that,but for now,plug away one,two,sometimes three at a time.Congrats,you have some beauties!!Like was already said-you just kicked off what could become a VERY bad addiction(mark my words).
Sincerely,Clayton

[Potomac Yank]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

---but Joe has PreWar cards doesn't he?

*

I do have pre ww1, but like yourself, I re- started collecting the cards that I use to flip when I was 10 years old, the 1941 Play Ball.

Thanks for the try Steve, but I'm 78 , and I started collecting again when I turned 50 ... which should be encouraging to older collectors because I haven't done badly, even with a late start.

And no, I am not a whale.
I owe it to digging, reseaching, knowing the territory, and taking a some time insane shot when you feel it merits it.

Allow your insanity to grow ... Go for it Fred!

[Rickyy]

It's nice to see a new collection circulate into the hobby. The colors really look bright and sharp and the cards look nice and crisp too!

[DICKTOWLE]

Very nice group of cards-- and you are right, teddy zzzzzzzzz is is the man to talk to-- :d

[ChiefBenderForever]

That's a great find, congrats on the new addition to your collection.

[GoldenAge50s]

WOW! What a bunch of very nice comments!

TO: Leon, Dave H, Barry A, Trae, JoAnn, Jason, Clayton, Ricky, Dick, Johnny and my elder, Joe P----THANK YOU for the kind words of encouragement!

Trae--I'll try to get the HOFer's scanned & posted!

In my mind, I'm at the age where I should be SELLING my collection, not adding to it! At least that's what I try to tell myself! BUT, I find it very hard to get rid of my original purchase '50's cards & sets that I have managed to save since the day I bought them in wax!

I must be truthful here: My purpose in buying this collection was in hope of reselling for a small profit, not to start a set of T206, but I am in no rush to do so!

So, assuming I plan to sell, here is my question to ALL of you:

to GRADE or NOT to GRADE? (SGC will be my ONLY grading choice)

I welcome input & answers from EVERYONE on this!

Thanks again for enjoying the cards!
Fred Young

[ullmandds]

Great cards...cards that nice should be graded to realize their greatest potential value if you plan to sell. If I had those cards I'd start a binder and go for the set!!!

[barrysloate]

You have to grade all the HOFers, and every common that will at least grade VG or better. You will add value to the selling price if you do so.

[B O'Brien]

That is a good looking stack you have going there Fred! Congrats, there is nothing like finding some new ones, they even smell a little different that the stuff that has been in sleeves and on the show tables for years.

[uffda51]

Nice find, and a great story. Congratulations!

[teetwoohsix]

I agree with Peter and Barry.If you plan to sell them,you will be able to get more for them graded.Me,I like SGC,and would use them-only my opinion.But then again-I wouldn't sell those,I would keep them and stare at them daily like a crazed psycopath
Just kidding........it's just that you have such a good start on the set.............
Congrats again!!!!
Regards,Clayton

[sox1903wschamp]

Fred,

Nice find and story! Stories like this continue to put the "fun" into collecting.

[GoldenAge50s]

Several more nice comments! You folks are making me want to keep them & get some more!

So far, nobody says NOT to grade, altho I think Ted Z would say NO even for resale!

I may not have time until Sat or Sun to get the HOFers scanned and at that, I may be shoveling snow on Sun here in RI!

[Jim VB]

I think if you're keeping them, there is no reason to get them graded, however, if you're selling them there is good reason to.

It seems to me that even the low end cards would get your grading cost, and more, returned to you upon resale.

[vintagewhitesox]

Frank,
Cool story. Nice looking cards.

I grade all of my cards, even if I'm not going to sell them (at least in the foreseeable future). Just to protect them from my own clumsiness, and the cards do look sharp in certain holders. But again, such a personal preference!

Enjoy the cards.

[GoldenAge50s]

I have 20 diiferent HOFers in the collection on 26 different cards & poses:

I just noticed the Clarke Portrait has his name (partial) on top also.

[GoldenAge50s]

Here are the rest:

The last 2 were sent in to BVG by previous owner--I purposely cropped the grade out so you can speculate what they graded by Beckett standards.

Young---lite crease l to r across head--lite crease top ctr to r of head---4 soft corners

Bender---very lite stain LL corner--4 soft corners--Tiny loss of paper back---No creases that I can see

[B O'Brien]

Dang Fred. Once again, those are some beauties!
Bob

[Abravefan11]

Beautiful cards Fred!

[ethicsprof]

Fred,
a great collection is well on its way.
continue; do not sell.
Remember: The Monster wants you to quit. Don't llisten to it.
best,
barry

[T206.org]

Very nice, Fred! The Brown portrait is my favorite, thanks to the centering.
Thank you for sharing.

[smtjoy]

Awesome find, thanks for all the info and scans!

[chaddurbin]

super nice, blazing cards that should be kept together....would be a crime to see these being cycled through the hobby.

[teetwoohsix]

Fred-this is an amazing start to have on the set-if you don't need the $$$,keep these beautiful cards and start the journey!!!They all look like they would grade very well,what a great score!!!

[tedzan]

Great acquisition, the cards look better than I originally thought.

My best advice to you is......it looks like you have a significant start on completing the 1st (150) series of the T206 set.
Set a goal for yourself to acquire the remaining 17 cards (minus Magie, Plank & Wagner) needed to complete this series.

Then decide if you want to continue collecting "The Monster". I did this exactly when I put together my all PIEDMONT set.

Also, Craig Wright just accomplished this goal (as posted). There are many approaches to eventually amassing all the cards
to the T206 set. Doing it in stages (by series) eases the challenge and gives you a better appreciation of how these cards
were originally issued.

Alternatively, if you can acquire another large lot of T206's from the 350 or the 460 series, then that's even a better option.

Lot's of luck,

TED Z