Can u remember ur 1st T206 u acquired?
 

Whether be trade or purchase, which tobacco T206 was your very first? This will be extremely difficult for some of the long time collectors but for some reason, I can remember mine from 1969.

Mine was Tom Downey Fielding. Possibly the most common card in the set but he was my 1st acquisition. .25 at a Motel room from a dealer.

Back in the old days, dealers would rent a Motel room and run an ad in the local paper for a weekend.

Dan

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1910-SWEET-C...item4ab3c22e91

Hey Dan
 

Hey Dan
I can't remember the first one but boy oh boy do I have some pictures of some of those old shows and rooms. I will try to dig some out and share with the board later today.

Jack Warhop, I was really excited when I read about his home run connection with Ruth!

That would be really cool Leon! I would love to see them! Could bring back some fond memories.

yup, T206 Cobb Red Portrait at a 1989 card show when 89 UD Griffey rookies were the hottest thing at the show!! Bought the Cobb and have loved the series ever since :D

WaJo portrait from Ron Barrett at a little show in Tysons Corner, VA

Bob Groom, Washington. It was around 1983.

t206
 

Around 15 years ago I purchased a shoe box full of vintage cards 50's-60's from an antique dealer for $75.00 . In the box was a t206 Josh Clarke-Columbus. I loved the card so much that I decided to sell and trade all of my vintage to acquire MORE t206"s. Ive been hooked ever since. I now have 167 T206'and counting.

John P :)

Old Mill Buck Herzog
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=135418

I still have my first two
 

I got this pair for $500 in the summer of 1997. The guy had a cigar box with a couple dozen raw T206s that his grandfather had left him, and he was looking to generate some dollars for a trip to Las Vegas he was about to take. He shoulda kept the cards, but I've taken very good care of them ever since...

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/773AJA1ZTXz0bE-nmeR5S0bbPrYp6YHrRqcN_cfzkkQ?feat=embedwebsite"><i mg src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cj8jDshOzgg/TKyDhuAay0I/AAAAAAAAJN8/6FJkQZtgeIU/s800/MathewsonThrowingWhiteCapSGC60.JPG" height="800" width="500" /></a>

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JrE1PtlhbCtYkaNEYz59zUbbPrYp6YHrRqcN_cfzkkQ?feat=e mbedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3CC-vGP-2GI/TKyDhpkEuJI/AAAAAAAAJN8/LVhAS4Mgw-s/s800/BenderPortraitSGC50.JPG" height="800" width="496" /></a>

Nice Mathewson & Bender !!!

Mine was this Bill Hallman, still have it as well.

I remember my first time...
 

Foley White. Bought it through Teletrade around 1995. Didn't buy my 2nd for more than a decade but I've made up for lost time.

1st T206
 

First T206 was a Johnson portrait with rounded corners. I remember being completely puzzled as to what type of card it was and whether it was produced with rounded corners or not (my card had all perfectly rounded corners from years of wear). I was captivated by the bold clear printing. Kind of neat for something that old.

I still have it ungraded just as i purchased it.

I picked up a red Cobb and a Lajoie w/bat from a shop in the San Fernando Valley (L.A.) in 1979. I traded a bunch of Brett and Lynn rookies and that sort of thing.
JimB

I do not still have the same Cobb, but do have the original Lajoie I bought 33 years ago.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/1...ewbatpsa35.jpg

What is really neat so far is that I don't think any of us started with the same card.

Excellent posts and stories!

Keep them coming
Dan

Mine was a PSA 6 Nap Lajoie (port) in 2001 wish I still had it.:(

My first - still have it. I was hooked as soon as I saw it. Up until then I had been collecting 1950's football cards, but this turned things around.

May 2011, studied the set for years but never owned one, bought these guys to get a feel for the cardboard, size and colours. Next card was a red Cobb.

http://i.imgur.com/U3SOG.jpg

Abbaticchio Blue Sleeves

It had rounded corners, was miscut, but it didn't have any creases -- or maybe they were ironed out?

Matty dark cap for me back in 2002. I still remember being blown away when I first looked at it after taking out of the package. I still have it too.

Hotel rooms, .25 a card, you guys are bringing back Navy stories in my mind. Still have my first Carrigan, now how about twisted stories of how we all inflicted with this vintage collecting ailment? New thread perhaps............

Rawn

In about '73 at the age of 12 I decided that I was ready to move beyond Topps and Bowmans and get some really old cards. My friend had a catalog from Richard Gelmans Card Collectors company, so I sent off for my first T206. They were just random, you didn't know who you would get, but it didn't matter.
It was Bergen, Brooklyn and cost me .50 plus a stamp or some change for postage, still under a buck.
About a year later after subscribing to The Trader Speaks found out it was worth a bit more, since it had a Uzit back. Sold it for $10 and felt like a shark.

Had 3 to 4 t206 cubs in poor/ fair condition that I bought from a vendor at an annual festival in a small Midwest town. Later traded them to board members for E121 cards. No more t206 in my collection.

McGraw portrait no cap, 2006. Still have it and always will. The Ken Burns series turned me on to the dead ball era and McGraw's story captivated me. This turned into about 50 more, then sold most of them off to fund other purchases, when I started to uncover other sets, through this board.



<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/albums/bb189/Tyjaycox/?action=view&amp;current=T206JohnMcGrawPortraitNoC apPSA4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb189/Tyjaycox/T206JohnMcGrawPortraitNoCapPSA4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Larry Schafly, Piedmont around 1990-1992 at a small baseball card stand in the Williamsburg Pottery mall in Williamsburg, Virginia. I would ride my bike about 6-10 miles to get there, have lunch and buy cards. I went back a couple of weeks later for got a Donnie Bush, Piedmont.

My first T206 was a Hooks Wiltse Pitching. It was a Piedmont Factory 42. At the time, Factory 42's were getting alot more interest and was able to pick it up at a PSA 2 for $44.95 and I still have the same card.

My first was Nap Rucker (throwing) EX in 2005 and it was an Ebay purchase. I just wanted one for my collection. Liked the card so much, within a week I called Shoebox cards and purchased a Bresnahan (with bat) EX.

BleedinBlue - I remember Teletrade and used to buy a few of cards from them.


Jantz

T206 focus
 

I posted this recently on another thread, but heck I will post it again with modifications to focus on the T206's.

I was driven by my folks to a card show near LAX in 1981, and the first dealer inside (yes, I remember it was on the right side) had some beat up old cards in their case. Two of the five I ended up with were:

T206 Mathewson Dark Cap
T206 Johnson pitching

Both were around F-G condition. These cards started me on the path to low-grade collecting bliss. I still have them, and if I had to get rid of all my cards I have collected except one, I would hang onto the Matty - what a classic card.

Brian

A Piedmont Ed Killian Portrait.Still on of my favorite poses.I love the Dracula collar.

My Parents got this for me on my 12th birthday (1982), I was so pumped. Just loved how old it was and felt that the old cards were all so cool, have been hooked on vintage since then.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...206ClarkeA.jpg

Tris Speaker. But is wasnt all *that* long ago.

My 1st T206......
 

1981 at Willow Grove......I recall acquiring this Hal Chase from Wayne Miller. Wayne was the "T206 King" back then. He would set-up at the show with
many 100's of T206 cards.
Wayne was set-up at Tables #27-28 at this show. From March 1983 - 1992, I was set up at Tables #38-39 (across the aisle from Wayne). I acquired
many T206's from Wayne back then. Those were really great times in this hobby.

For an example of how inexpensive T206's were in the early 1980's. From Bob O'Leary in 1982, I bought a Green Cobb for only $15....it was RAW.
Both Bob and I agreed that this Cobb was VgEx (Gee....whatever happened to good ole 2-party grading).




http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...aseblue50x.jpg http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/t...seblue50xb.jpg



T-Rex TED

Sorry to break the string Dan, but my first t206 was a "Downey Fielding" as well. Don't remember when or where or how much, but I do remember I got one just to say I had a tobacco card. Didn't catch the bug then, wish I had, my guess is that was mid 80's since the only cards I bought before college were packs at the 5 and dime.

c. 1992 at a small card show at the Trolley Station Mall in Bethlehem, PA (Jay Wolt- remember the Trolley Station?).

after i got these first 3 cards (which i still own), i was hooked. i then met Jay, and bought many T206's from him over the years. As i've probably mentioned here before, i would visit Jay's shop in P-Burg, NJ and he'd give me a history lesson on each player and the game at that time (dead ball era). i cherish those visits with him.

Funny thing, Ted, I bought my first T206s from Wayne as well--a Johnson pitching if I remember correctly. And yes, I still have it. During the week Wayne kept some of his inventory in a small coin and stamp shop in Laurel, MD. He'd come in on Friday mornings to scoop everything up and take it to his next show. When he came back in on Monday mornings he'd have all the purchases from the show. I got to see some fabulous things, and even buy one or two from him on my limited budget.

Bill

Johnson pitching. Still have it. Gotta be 35 years (!)

Thanks Dan, I wanted to feel old today...

first
 

the matty dark cap was the first i ever bought---1984 for around 15 bucks.
still have it. I had been given some 206s,210s,205s,203s a couple of years before but didn't ring much of a bell until '84 when the search for the vintage grail really began.
best,
barry

One of the first cards I received was around 1974. A T206 Ty Cobb red portrait ungraded of course. I won it a T206 The Traders' Speaks write in auction for whopping $5.00 from Fred Copp in Michigan. The card looked about ex/mnt condition. Auctions at that time were write in auctions that closed 7-10 days from when the issues were sent through the mail.

I bought this one from Wayne Varner at the 2007 National. I had it graded some time later. I drove about two hours to Cleveland to buy it, but Wayne's shop was about five miles from my house.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64...OwenWilson.jpg

A Hal Chase with Trophy from ebay. PSA 5. Was one of my first prewar cards and really got me hooked on vintage.

Lajoie (Throwing)
 

June 5, 1993
Show in Cincinnati with Tom Boblitt.
I traded a Sports Illustrated with Jordan/Perkins/? on the cover (North Carolina) for it raw. Later graded out at PSA5.

Square trade!

But I guess it was 1993...

Dougherty
 

My first T206 was bought, by my wife, at a card show in a Holiday Inn, in the early 1990's, near Chicago. The seller was a guy who said he had hitchhiked from Detroit. He was just walking around and selling during the show without a table.

My first was a plank. Found out it was a RP of course:(. Then bought a Snodgrass batting PB back. Over the next 3 months I bought over 50% of the set. Then got bit by the 205 bug and been hooked since. Sold my 206's except a few and bought 205's since they are a bit more challenging to amass. My daughter has my first few 206's and has quite a collection so far. Every card she has now has come from a board member via trades, purchases, and some donated cards. Her favorite is a PSA 1 Adkins given to her by none other than Dave. She always pulls it out tells whomever that this guys grandson gave her that card.

Bill Bradley with bat. PSA 2 on eBay in 2005. Still have it. Wanted a Cleveland player, great pose and under $20. Crossed to an SGC 40 2 years ago.

Sorry Adam, I guess I should have thought about that!

My bad

1976
 

My first was in the late 70's. I was a Dodger fan so it was a Whitey Alperman Brooklyn. Nice !!

Bought Bob Unglaub and Ira Thomas through Teletrade around 1995.

Yes I do!!! My first one was the Rube Marquard standing/pose. And it was signed. Not bad for first ever pick-up :P

[IMG]http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=6041[/IMG] http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=6040

https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/..._5633043_a.jpg

Knight, Ebay 2009

Love this card and had it blown up into an eleven by seventeen print for my den.

I saw the end result in a diff thread, where did you get that done? Looking to get a '53 color reese blown up to give to my dad...just a gorgeous card, and want a high quality pic

I'm relatively new to prewar collecting. This was my first, and still my favorite T206. It came from our very own Tony A. Thanks again pal.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...ront485pix.jpg

I went to a printing shop that specializes in political signs, school programs etc and asked them to do it on poster board. They were unsure if the detail would hold up in the size i wanted but surprisingly it came out clear as a bell. I just took a scan of my card in and not the card itself.

First T206
 

My first examples were a lot of 5 different with a HOFer from Larry Fritsch for $17.00(Think that is what the price was) back in 1985....included:
Bresnahan portrait
Scott
Delehanty
Ganzel
Howard


all sold since

Perfect! I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks again

Mine is a Beckley polar bear back. Horrible condition, a large selection of creases and a tear that required tape to keep it from being two pieces of card. The shop got 1.50 for commons (Beckley was a common minor leaguer then) which was a bit more than I was willing to spend, Knowing I wanted one they set it aside for me and it was only 20 cents! The next spring the baseball americana-Beckett precursor book came out and had the checklist.
Somehow that made buying a few more easier, And the next year when I started working I could buy even more.

Steve B

Charlie Rhodes. VG-EX. The Old Card Shoppe. Claremont, CA. 1981. $3.00. I looked up his stats in the Baseball Register as soon as I got home and was slightly disappointed to discover that he was not an extraordinary major leaguer.

Grimshaw - VG - mid 90's

first T206
 

After everyone left the party on New Year's Eve 2010-11, I jumped on the computer at 3 am and put in a search for T206 on Ebay and found a beautiful "Steamer" Flanagan BVG 2 for $18 shipped. I had no idea what the going prices were, but thought it seemed about right and made my first T206 purchase...one year and 100 T206 cards later and here we are.

I'm still not sure what made me look for T206's last New year, but I was hooked after that.

My dad bought be a T206 Harry Pattee for Christmas.

Mine was a Lajoie Throwing with a Piedmont 150 back that I bought at a small card auction in Silver Spring, MD in 1992. I decided to have it slabbed 15 years later when I really started working on my HoF T206 set--it now resides in a PSA5 holder.

t206 roger bres batting
 

1998 or so Johnny D talked me into t206.....picked up roger bres batting sweet cap.....now approx 14 years later and a ton of freaks:)

Way back when
 

Like Dan, I got my first T206s back in the early days of the modern hobby, late 1971 or early 1972. Can't recall a "first card" because my introduction to T206 was a lot from hobby legend Wirt Gammon of Chattanooga, Tenn., something like 10 for $1, though I could be misremembering the details a bit. Going price was about .25-.35 then, but these were a bargain lot because the cards had little defects, mostly slightly clipped corners or corner creases. Otherwise they were beautiful clean cards. The only player I distinctly remember as part of this lot was Pryor McElveen because of his unusual name.
Bob Richardson

Snodgrass was my first in 1980 in NJ at the Meadowlands Shows. My favorite buy is/was Mathewson with white cap at Parsippany in 1983(?). $15 what would grade about a "2"

First one
 

Tinker bat on shoulder EXMT raw, bought from Bill Mastro in 1982.

Solly Hofman, an SGC graded card (30 or 40). I just wanted one as a type card, sold it before I even thought about seriously collecting T206.

In 1992 I picked up a Paddy Livingstone at a card shop in Va Beach. They had a big stack for $10 each, take your pick. If I only knew about the backs then....

Excellent posts guys!!! Excellent!! This may be the best thread I ever started except for my Leon bashing thread I posted over on Elkins board! ;)

My first two came through the mail courtesy of Gar Miller in the mid-70's. Cy Young for $5 and a backless Cobb for $2.50. I still have his handwritten note that accompanied the cards . . . "Regards, Gar"

I have collected cards since 1979 when my dad purchased me some 1979 Topps packs so I could get a Thurman Munson card.I was hooked.I joined the old Piedmont Sports Collector's Club in Greenville, South Carolina the same year.

I attended my first card show in 1980 in Greenville, SC with $55.00 in my pocket.For $55.00 that day I brought home 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax Ex+, 1956 Topps Duke Snider Ex+, 1953 Topps Pee Wee Reese NrMt, 1954 Bowman Pee Wee Reese Ex+, 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax NrMt, 1960 Fleer Ted Williams NrMt-Mt, 1960 Fleer Ty Cobb NrMt-Mt, 1963 Fleer Willie Mays NrMt, T 206 Nap Rucker Ex, T 206 Zack Wheat Ex+, T 206 Tris Speaker Vg, and 12 common Brooklyn Dodgers cards from the 1950's Topps.

My best purchase of tobacco cards was at a Civil War Estate Sale in Richmond, VA in 1987.I bought a wooden sewing box containing 453 T 206 cards for $400.00 plus 135 T205 cards for $110.50.

I miss those old days.

1988, Charlottesville, Va. My first T206s purchased were a group of 130 or so with Cobb, Johnson and maybe 15 other hall of famers. I paid $100.00 for the bunch even though i didn't know what they were. i just liked them (liked them ever since). First single card purchase was at Southern Cards (Marco) on main street right after his Richmond find. It was a vg-x Pattee for $5.00.

January 2011: I was watching Ken Burns' baseball documentary, and was reminded of the sad lexicon (Tinker to Evers to Chance). I'm a huge Cubs fan and thought it'd be neat to own old baseball cards of them. Looked on eBay, realized it was a "Freaking huge deal", and then did research on the whole Cubs set, and bought a George Brown Chicago raw (Good condition), for 14$. Found Net54 in Feb, and put the whole Cubs set together, then put it together in Sov/EPDG/Tolstoi - and here I am, deeply engrossed in the hobby, a year later.

BTW, looking to put together T205 Cubs sovereign/AB/Cycle, and T207 Cubs (need Saier, Miller, Tinker, Schulte). Shameless plug.

Yep, still have it! (Thanks, Keith!)
http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...2/bender-chief

Sold it at one point and bought it back a few years ago. Keeping it this time!

1st T206 and cigarette card I purchased around 1990 from the owner and promoter of the Chantilly Show in VA/DC area when he had a card shop in
Charlottesville, VA. I bought it just because I did not have anything that old at the time. Did not acquire another until around 2007 when a friend and member of Net54 pested me into collecting T206 and T205. The Steinfelt was raw at the time and I had it graded sometime later before 2007.

Sweet Cobb. I hope to have one with equal eye appeal some day. Congrats!

Charlie,

Didn't realize I was pestering you. Can I have my cards back that you got from me? :):):):)

Mine would be a John McGraw finger in the air that I picked up off of some small sports card auction site about 14 years ago. Still have that one!

Bought my first in 1976 and still have it...


http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Scan0008-1.jpg




Be well Brian

Martin,

Probably a bad choice of words.........I will think of something else like "you showed me the error of my ways". Do you realize that you have OUTED yourself. I did not name you in the message. What will people think of you now??
You notice I did not answer the cards question..............

Charlie

Mine was this Red Cobb, unfortunately I bought another Red cobb with Polar Bear back and sold it. I didn't need dups. :o This was 1980's or 1990's.

Joe