Collecting A T206 Near Set - Group by Group

[toppcat]

Had a chance to sit and review my progress on collecting a T206 Near Set of 518 or 520 (not sure yet) and after about two-and-half years found I have exactly 80 cards, or about 15% of the set. I took a "group" approach and went after the tougher cards first so I expect more quantity going foward.

I concentrated on getting all the big HOF'ers and tougher variations value-wise from Speaker up to the Green Cobb first and finally knocked those off last year and now am after the next level of HOF'ers (Lajoie's, Tinker-Evers-Chance-Mcgraw, etc).

Also trying to get one of each back, or at least each brand although I'm not sure about anything harder than Lenox joining the collection any time soon. I have 20 different backs, the hardest of which is a Carolina Brights. I was surprised how many I had already.

I'm now concentrating on Southern Leaguers and discovered I already have ten in hand:

Cranston
Foster
Hart (Little Rock)
Miller (TL)
Persons
Revelle (Brown Hindu)
Shaughnessy
Smith, Carlos (TL)
Stark
Westlake

I'll need to upgrade some cards but have settled into what would be about a 2.5 to 3 range condition-wise, although they are all raw and I crack any slabs I buy. On Ebay I will only buy slabbed cards as I have had to return trimmed examples three or four times already. Here I have bought raw with no problems and in fact Westlake just arrived today from Ted. Z.

I'll buy HOF'er's, 150 only's (have 3-4 already) and SL'ers as the hobby budget allows this year and plan to try and buy a decent amount of commons in lots at the National in August since all those empty slots in the binder make me unhappy.

Collecting this set is a lot of fun and although the Monster has wanted me to quit a couple of times I have stuck with it. Anyone else got some tales of putting a set together?

[ChiefBenderForever]

You are off to a great start with many tough ones already out of the way ! Congrats and good luck and have fun the rest of the way. After I got about 115 deep into the set I gave up and sold most of them off and will probably never attempt it again. I was gobbled up by the monster, don't be it's next victim !!

[DangerJim]

I am at 25% right now after about 3 years.

I buy mostly low grade cards based on eye appeal and have cards with great corners but paperloss on the back or wrinkled corners or cards with well rounded corners but great centering and registration. I am not too picky when it comes to condition as long as the card is in one piece and not stained. I try to find good value.

I have 25 HOFers with a red Cobb and a Young portrait. My approach is to try for one of the major HOFers every year and then pick up a few lower tier HOFers while working toward getting at least one card of every HOFer.

I keep an eye out for different backs but don't really pursue them. I have been very lucky on ebay in the past buying $15 commons without back scans and getting a Peidmont factory 42 back, a Cycle 350 and 460.

I too have a few cards that will need to be replaced some day that came in lots with others.

How ever you go about your set, enjoy the journey.

[ethicsprof]

Dave, congrats on your T206 plan and successes along the way!
I note that you realized intuitively that the Monster wanted you to quit and you did not listen.
The dictum "remember: the Monster wants you to quit. don't listen to it,"
is always a helpful guide and sword along the way!!
I tamed the Monster(as I define it) around a couple of years ago. I actually began in around '83 when i received a few 206s,205s,210s from a friend's inheritance. I bought a Matty dark cap with my wife soon after marrying in '84 at a small show at a convention center. Then bought only a favorite here and there over the next 17-18 years and didn't really get captured by the
quest until around '02 and then got singleminded---buying and trading nothing but 206s.
After the taming, i've had a great time displaying my type collection on about 5 office walls at this point. The Ramly's,T3's,butterfingers,E90s,E91s,E92s,E94s,E95 s,E98s,E101s,E102s,E106s,boston stores, Weil baking, WG2-WG6,strips,Goudeys,Wheaties,Zeenuts,T209,T210,T212 ,all but 3 of the T200,T205,M116,T5,T222, some favorite Nagy and Carter cards, 17 206 era packs,and my recent favorite: Type 1 Conlon photograph which is the photo behind the
206 tannehill(no L) action pose.
What a great hobby!!
best,
barry

[jp1216]

Good Luck - don't be in a rush. I got my first SLer in the mail today!!! Not an any rush, but I like yours and others approach. The longer it takes, the more fun it will be....

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by ethicsprof

Dave, congrats on your T206 plan and successes along the way!
I note that you realized intuitively that the Monster wanted you to quit and you did not listen.
The dictum "remember: the Monster wants you to quit. don't listen to it,"
is always a helpful guide and sword along the way!!
...
After the taming, i've had a great time displaying my type collection on about 5 office walls at this point. The Ramly's,T3's,butterfingers,E90s,E91s,E92s,E94s,E95 s,E98s,E101s,E102s,E106s,boston stores, Weil baking, WG2-WG6,strips,Goudeys,Wheaties,Zeenuts,T209,T210,T212 ,all but 3 of the T200,T205,M116,T5,T222, some favorite Nagy and Carter cards, 17 206 era packs,and my recent favorite: Type 1 Conlon photograph which is the photo behind the
206 tannehill(no L) action pose.
What a great hobby!!
best,
barry

Barry-I was thinking of your aphorism when I typed that! The E cards, especially E93's, are appealing to me but I'll save them for another decade. I may end up doing T205 next after the white borders-they are growing on me as I put together my Superbas team set. Will still be a while, my goal for T206 is ten years. Your office displays sound really nice.

[judsonhamlin]

Dave - Good luck on the quest. I started back in the mid 80's with my first three cards (Lajoie, Joss and Waddell). First I tried to get one card of each major league player, and then I got the minor and SLers. I think I was officially hooked by '91 or so and decided to "make it interesting" (read: difficult), by not buying cards with Piedmont backs. I finally got to 518 this past October and am looking forward to 519 (Cobb bat on) and 520 (O'Hara-StL) in 2010, budget permitting.

[Fetamore]

Dave,

What's the hurry. Slow down. Enjoy the hunt. I purchased my first T206 at a 1981 Willow Grove PA show from Wayne Miller. I am still 6 short of a complete set plus the big 4. I hope to cut that in half over the next 10 years. Actually , I admire your focus. I tend to collect anything and everything with no intention to complete anything.

[Jantz]

Dave

Good job & you definitely took the right approach to building this set by starting with some of the HOFers & SLers first.

I'm at about 36% and that amount consists of mostly commons. Ironically close to 25% of those came from Net54 board members.

I've been very fortunate though, being invited onto this board and finding the Murr'y this year have helped me tremendously.

Good luck and keep at it

Jantz

[rfurnish]

I began working on my PSA 4-5 t206 set in January, 2009. So far I only have 76 cards with a little bit of everything included. At current count I have 18 Hall of Famers, 5 Southern Leaguers, and 15 different backs. My orginal plan was to pick up one a week but I've gotten a little ahead of that pace. If I had to guess, my favorite Hall of Famer is the PSA 5 Cobb, bat off shoulder....my toughest southern leaguer would probably be Roy Ellam or Carleton Molesworth. My favorite overall card might actually be Paddy Livingston...one of my first cards and just kind of a goofy looking pose.

[ethicsprof]

Dave, I'm very pleased that you found the aphorism a helpful sword!!!
I note that you say the T205 'are growing on you.' I've found that when
i say something akin to that, I start buying a few!!!
I think that your goal of 10 years for the T206 sounds like a great ride,
both pleasureable and sufficiently singleminded.
Happy questing, ole friend.
best,
barry

[toppcat]

Judson-You have a Demmitt St Loo I see (impressed), so you have moved into different territory! I am still deciding on the 2 scarce PB's! I'll not chase the Murr'y and some others like that I don't think but who knows? Some of the variations outside the main 524 count are intriguing, including the two Olbermann once ID'd.

[t206wagner]

I have been collecting this set for about the last 4 years and have about 475 cards. As the list grows, it gets harder to find the cards you need. My plan is to finish off the southern leaguers this year (only need 5) and take it easy the rest of the year. When I had the urge to quit, I would focus my collecting somewhere else. I started buy 55 Topps cards as well as T205's. I have about 30 T205's but don't have any desire to finish that set. Just something to take my focus off of T206's for a while. Good luck with your search.

[teetwoohsix]

I am also on the quest with the T206 set,with only close to 50 cards-so I still have a long way to go.I am all over the board with it,collecting commons',HOF'ers,semi-hard backs,etc.
I have found that collecting even in a VG-VG/EX range graded SGC,PSA,BVG makes the quest a little pricey,but don't mind-it'll just take me a little longer.
For some reason I don't want the real low grade beaters in my set (if I can help it)-I'm talking the cards with lots of creases,paper loss,mangled,etc..
I wish you all the best on "taming the Monster"

Sincerely,Clayton

[tedzan]

Your approach (group by group) is an excellent way to put together "The Monster". I did this exactly with my all-PIEDMONT set.
I first tackled the 150 Series cards. Upon acquiring the 154 cards (minus Plank & Wagner) in this 1st series, I then proceeded to
work on the 350 Series.....etc, etc.

When you set a goal like this, it's seems less daunting a task. Conversely, when one considers a 500+ set right from the start, it
can lend itself to discouragement in a relatively short time.....and, The Monster has beat you.

Incidently, I have more Southern Leaguers that you need. Email me if you interested, at........tedzan11@comcast.net


TED Z

[Bridwell]

I've played with collecting T206's ever since my 1st card show in 1971 in Troy, Michigan. At that show I bought a Ty Cobb T206 in good condition for 40 cents and 2 decent commons for 25 cents each. 3 T206's, and change back from a dollar bill! I was only 11, but couldn't believe how cheap the old cards were, considering their age. I started studying the history of the game, and learning the players. My brothers and I eagerly awaited the annual card show in Troy, Michigan which had awesome selections of old cards during the 1970's. We saved our money for months to be able to spend maybe $25-$35 at those early shows. In those days there was no slabbing of cards. In fact, nobody had invented card sleeves yet. You just picked up the raw cards!

In the 1980's, I sold my post-war cards and re-invested in pre-war. I put together a set of 520 T206's. None were professionally graded. In the 1990's I started having some PSA graded, and eventually completed a T206 registry set of 520. I have at least 50 duplicates I haven't gotten around to putting up for sale yet. It's been a fun and rewarding process for me, and I certainly recommend it.

Ron R.

[rfurnish]

David,

Just out of curiosity, I wouldn't mind seeing the list of who you are still chasing for the set.

Ron

[brass_rat]

I started my T206 set this past August, and I'm about 150 cards deep right now, all grades PSA 5-7 and SGC 60-up.

My favorite card in the set is the Walter Johnson (pitching) -- I bought a very nice one for $75 about 15-20 years ago...the image always stays in my mind.

I carry a Wagner reprint in my wallet...two reasons -- makes me happy, and I have something to show people (non-collectors) when they ask "what do you mean, you collect old baseball cards?"