Ted, I'm with ya, regarding "off-backs"...they've just always been known as "rare backs" to me.

Here's a few more...

The "Off Backs" term started being used around the same time I started using the "No Print" term, mid 2014. Both kinda confusing, especially if you were to ask a person with no baseball card knowledge, what they thought the terms meant. I honestly didn't think "No Print" would stick around, but then PSA started using the exact term. I came up with it as a partial phrase that T206resource would use, when they would say a card is a Probable No Print, meaning, possible but not likely. The actual "No Print" cards are listed on T206resource as just "No", so since I found them, they were not Probable, and they were not No, so I just used "No Print" to describe them.

As far as "Off Backs", in the early 2010's, there was me and one other person that was activly working on a set of T206's with no Piedmont or Sweet Caporal backs. Everyone else was still adding Piedmont's and Sweet Caporal's to their 520 set. There were a few single back collectors, like Ted with his Sovereign's, and a few others. I want to say it was Scott, who was the other collector of the non Piedmont and Sweet Caporal back set. But it was a while ago, and with so many collector's, I can't remember. Nowadays, there is a decent sized group of collectors, especially on Facebook's Tobacco Row, that build the "Off Back sets, usually raw, in binders. I never got into the binders for the original T206's.

I hope this help's with at least an origin and timeline of the terms, even if they were not thought out at the time.

Ted,
You two weren’t the only ones back then ;) I was just on a smaller scale

Same here. Just flew below the radar

I started my "mid-tier" (:)) set about 8 years ago (Range: PB to P42).

Agree, "back in the day" there were only a handful of "off-back" // "rare-back" // "what ever you want to call them-back" (:p) collectors ............ Now it seems like almost everyone is into them.

"the more the merrier" ................. ;)

Attachment 573967

Fun, fun, Scott :rolleyes:

Back then, I only remember the two of us being very open about what we were doing. Maybe a few other's were doing it secretly, but now it's more of a normal way to collect the set. To a point where it seems like it's 50/50. Half building traditional any back sets, and the rest building the off back/rare back sets. I remember sharing my numbers for a set with no Piedmont, Sweet Caporal, Sovereign, Polar Bear, and Old Mill. Except where you have no other option, but to use a Polar Bear, Sovereign, or Old Mill to reach 520. Now I know of a couple collectors upgrading their backs to the Tolstoi, EPDG, Cycle, American Beauty, and Hindu backs. That's a fun one.

I remember in the 1980's, people began using the word "bad" to mean "good."

I guess that's what's going on here. From Meriam-Webster's online thesaurus...
"off", adjective, over 400 synonyms, i.e.- "wrong, unacceptable, poor, lame, bad, deficient, terrible, horrible, awful, pathetic, wack, crummy, inferior, worthless, common, bush-league, trashy, cheesy, second-rate." etc. etc. Their words, not mine.

These are bad...

I like all the backs! The way I’m doing a set of 520 is to try to get as few duplicate backs per team as possible. It’s been fun and frustrating and many here have been a big help. Hopefully wrapping up Washington with 0 duplicate backs in the next few days. Cincinnati won’t be far behind but there will be at least 2 duplicate backs there.

Love this thread. Here's a few more tougher Cycle460s -

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1685970126

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1685970144

Ted, I am not sure the cards I started the post with would be considered "rare", so I included the term "off" back. Maybe not the correct term, but it allowed me to incorporate some SC factory 42s that I like and still maintain the integrity of the post!

All I can say is WOW!

[QUOTE=2dueces;2345799]All I can say is WOW![

Joe, if it is any help, I once held a Griffith PSA7 with a Drum back. Sadly, long gone.

some really great cards shown. I always love the rare backs.
Thanks for sharing!

and here is one from my previous collection. Glad MVSNYC got it....

Leon, thanks for the shout out. I love the Cy Young Hindu.

I have to tell you...I just did a big trade, involving several MAJOR rare backs (I'll post more about it next week)...Well, the Cy Hindu was on the table, but I just couldn't let him go, I decided to hold onto him. I love the card too much...besides it being a great looking example...my son, who's big into T206 collecting now, said- "You can't let him go, he has an award named after him!" Smart boy. :)

That Hindu Young is a beauty, Mike. Smart move to hang on to that one.

A couple more.

off-back HOFers - if this thread doesn't exits, it should!
 

I picked up this Cobb recently…

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f2e96c238d.jpg


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a73e123a71.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

off-back HOFers - if this thread doesn't exits, it should!

Probably all the T206 haters are thinking this thread so go away just like it says in its title.

It took me a couple of weeks to notice the mispelling. And I just intentionally misspelled misspelling, so as to prove the point that even misspelled words can still get the meaning arcoss.

Brian (not a T206 hater...great cards everyone)

I noticed the spelling error on the first day of the post. I figured it would be caught and fixed, but everyone started posting and sharing, with no problems. So I figured it really didn't matter, and let it slide. I had to respond, because the error was finally brought up. They say, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Maybe nowadays, during so many changes in the human life, If it's broke, just leave it broke.

Being a severe dyslexic, I never noticed. Even as pointed out, it still took me a minute to see the mis-spelling ................... :p

Attachment 575094

Heck, I'm such a bad speller, I'd probably misspell Jon ........... ;)


Fun, fun, Scott :rolleyes: