What is your T206 "Sweet Spot"?
 

What is your perfect T206 grade... if you could assemble the complete Monster in one grade; what is that grade? What grade has the most eye-appeal to you?

6
 

6 generally equals strong corners, good color and centering, but a notion of honest wear.

I very rarely see Ex-MT T206 cards that disappoint me from a condition perspective [the vagaries of professional grading is another matter...]

Seems to be two possible questions here. If you're talking about which grade holds the most eye appeal, I'd say 6 or 7 -- there's too many 5s out there with scuff marks, scratches, or significant corner wear. 6s, by and large, are when the cards turn really nice. 7s are where you need to make some effort to find flaws, but they carry a major price premium.

But if you're talking about trying to complete the set, I'd say 4s. Little price increase over 3s (for commons that is), and by and large you're talking about an intact card without major creases or major corner defects. It's a whole card, so to speak. You could probably find some real nice 3s with a good degree of selection and effort though.

By and large, I'm aiming for 4s for building my set, but if there's a card that I'm particularly fond of (eg a particular team, player, or picture's aesthetic), then I'd go for that one in a 6.

--S

1 - means well loved and afforable. I like the stamps and 'character' - but best of all - the cheap price...:D

Wouldn't everyone go with the "9" if they could?

condition
 

I agree with what everyone is saying so far. It seems like common sense to say that the set in mint 9 condition would be the best (and probably so), but cards this old with the history that they hold, I believe that mid-grade would be my favorite and most appealing. Reason being because I like the fact you can see the age and wear and still appreciate it...but that's just me.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sharp looking near mint T206's and maybe one reason I choose the mid-grade is because I could never afford the higher grades. But I sure have grown to love the low to mid examples :)

I agree with both of you... 6 is also my "target" grade.

I collect Backs and of the 44 in my team set, only 12 are available with a grade of 6 or higher; 29 are available with a grade of 3/4 or higher.

I think a set of 4s would be obtainable and would be presentable. 6s would be more presentable but less obtainable (with an average checkbook). It looks like the average 4 is around $50 and the average 6 is around $200... I think I'll concentrate on 4s for the Monster set and 6s for our specialty sets.

Authentic.

I like them freaky.

3, of course
 

My niche is 3 (SGC 40)... to me its the sweet spot of appeal and cost/value.

I voted for a 3 also, almost went with a 4. That's an area which still shows the natural age look along with presenting well. A high grade set is a beautiful sight for sure (like Wonka's ;)), and no doubt more impressive.

And beater collectors are awesome- that's true love for T206's :D

Sincerely, Clayton

My niche are SGC 60/PSA 5. But when I see a 6, I am usually awe-inspired.

Sweet Spots
 

In the current announcer lingo, I don't have very good command of T206 focus. My set ranges from barely recognizable to NM+, so I went with 4.
Mathematically my standard deviation is statistically high, therefore.....

I must be considered a standard deviant with poor command.

Sort of the Ryne Duren of the collecting world. For those who don't remember Ryne, I include the following reference

He was known for the combination of his blazing fastball and his very poor vision. With his thick coke bottle glasses, few batters dared to dig in against Duren. Casey Stengel said, "I would not admire hitting against Ryne Duren, because if he ever hit you in the head you might be in the past tense."

You can't hit the Sweet Spot if you can't see it.

I voted 4. But some of my best looking cards are PSA 1's with perfect fronts with paper loss on the back. I really don't care about the loss of paper on the back of a card with a NM front. Price is a great consideration also. I have 3 HOF's in that condition that I payed much less that $100 a piece for.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...kerSteinFt.jpg

I have a lot of 1s but I think a nice 3 type grades about right

Mine doesn't have a number. I have a few in my collection that have perfect corners, bright white borders, perfect registration and bold, vivid colors....and maybe a small wrinkle or tear that doesn't take away from any of that. I also have 'poor' beaters that are still beautiful, for no good reason. They all fit in nicely.