You collect cards with advertising backs of cigarrettes that you have never smoked. So what? Just because we've never seen a player like Christy Mathewson pitch a game, doesn't mean that we can't read about him and collect his cards.

I've posted a few times in this thread and been remiss in answering the original question.

Fronts. Period.

The backs are nice. They are historical. And I do understand why someone would want an example of every back, but they are secondary to the fronts.

The cards were always printed for the player on the front, with the understanding that the back was an ancillary, advertising piece. When these were issued, you could control what back you got based on what brand you purchased/used. So there was no collecting challenge, back then, to securing a back set. There was always a challenge to getting all the players.

Me too!
 

Everyone has their own opinion, but this one is well stated and my feelings exactly. Thanks everyone for your replies. These are exactly the kind of honest, spirited responses I was hoping to hear.
Thank you!

Which is exactly why I stated that I respect everyone's reasons! But you decided to take just a snipet of the entire statement for whatever reason. Here is the statement in its entirety:

"I think what we are learning here in this thread is that probably the coolest thing about 206 is that there are so many different ways to collect! Some people cant fathom why I would spend over 2 grand on a common player with a rare back. I cant fathom why anyone collects pictures of players that nobody here has ever seen play, and that 99.9% of America hasnt even heard of! But I can respect everyone's individual reasons for collecting what they enjoy. In the end, isnt that what its all about anyway?"

Phil,

Perhaps I should have worded it in the form of a question. So here goes. Why is it hard for you to fathom why anyone collects pictures of players that nobody here has ever seen play, when you yourself collect advertisements of different brands of cigarettes that you've never heard of (or smoked)?

DJ

Do you always fully understand why people do the things they do, or like the things they like? Do other people always understand the things you do, or the things you like? I cannot understand why anyone still collects beanie babies. I cannot understand why anyone collects modern, mass produced cards. I cannot understand why people collect pictures of men who they have never seen play before. And im sure that some people cannot understand why someone would want to collect advertisements of defunt cigarette companies. We arent here to defend our likes/dislikes. We have a common thread in that we all enjoy collecting the things that make us smile.

At this point, it is getting comical. If you cannot understand this, then you really are in the wrong forum. The only reason the backs are desirable is because they contain "pictures of men who they have never seen play before" on the fronts. If you don't care about the front, then you might as well be collecting generals, or actresses, or fish tobacco cards. They're a lot cheaper and have a lot of "rare" backs, too.

No matter the subject at hand, Im always more interested in the fronts than the backs.

Why was Joe Jackson's nickname "Shoeless?" Was it because he played baseball without shoes?

I just had a thought that Chicago206 might be the latest version of the T206 Joe Jackson proof/spoof of a few years ago.

Leon, Wonka, Barry, et al, come clean. This has been a late April Fool's joke at the expense of the board, hasn't it? Chicago206 is no more real than that Jackson proof, is he?

Well played, guys. Well played.

You're the second "lawyer" I've heard ask that question! ( I think the other guy was a real lawyer, but I was very unsure!)

I thought you guys were trained to never ask questions you didn't already know the answer to.

It's the Axis of Evil!
http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...ll/PepBoys.jpg

Sorry if we irritate the shit out of you.

I've yet to comment on any of Chicago206's threads, but I am amazed that every day on this board he has become the center of attention, and is always involved in some kind of controversy. To come onto a chatboard populated by avid vintage card collectors and make the statement that there is no reason why people should collect cards of dead people has probably insulted more than a few board members. And it seems that more than half the threads these days are about T206 backs, asking the same questions again and again.

I don't get it.

I previously thought only folks from Butt Wipe, Ohio (or Buttwipe as it often is erroneously referred to), irritated the crap out of David.

The funny thing is, none of us, except Barry, who came up from the minors with Cy Young, has ever seen any of these guys play.







(IT'S A JOKE! Barry is, maybe, 3 years older than I am!)

Three years indeed (1952).

I collect the fronts, currently low grade hall of famer action poses.

I can see myself being interested in collecting backs as it is part of the allure of the set for me. But that will be in about the 23rd mile of the marathon I'm sure. I'm pretty sure that I'll spend big bucks on a Cobb, Johnson or Young, before I spend big bucks on a rare back. I'll probably even move to the HOF portraits before even thinking about collecting different backs. I liked the idea of the person who posted that their T206 set contained at least 10 of each back. That sounds up my alley. Sometime in my lifetime I hope.