T206 focus
 

Most of you probably don't remember when you first got involved with the monster, but I've dabbling for about a year now. Buy some, later sell some. No real direction.

Well, I've learned a lot (mostly reading right here), and now I have focused my T206 direction.

Lavender still, but my focus now is a back run, as high as I can go. Starting with the five most common - Piedmont, Sweet Caporal, Old Mill, Polar Bear and Sovereign. That is 20 cards covering the variations. Excluding Old Mill brown.

Now, I have specfic cards on the radar. By using "Inside T206" (thanks Scot), I've created a checklist of the 20 cards. I have seven in my current collection.

So, my quest begins.

-Jimmy

Jimmy,

Lavender is a nice looking card -- I really like the yellow background.

I just sold an EPDG PSA 4 for a pretty reasonable price.

Maybe a board member picked it up and will make it available ???

Good luck with the quest.

Scot

My experience with the monster is somewhat similar. Started it, got overwhelmed, sold most of mine, now I only really look at low end hof portraits with easy backs. They don't cost a fortune and to me are the best looking cards in the set.

Good for you Jimmy I'm completely trapped under the Monster's spell. I know I can't possibly complete it but 518 is MAYBE a possibility. It'll take a lifetime but that's the fun part.

I had a similar experience and after toying around with a back run, I put that aside to do mid-grade HOFers and horizontals. I'll break the monster into mini sub-sets to hopefully make some headway.

Good luck on your journey!

You know, every Lavender I own, or have owned, has that right line extend above the top line. No matter the back. I'm just saying.

I wonder if everyone goes through this and hits this wall? I am in the same boat... 1 year, 120 cards and I'm thinking of selling all and just running with HOF'ers only.

I got my first T206 in 1979 for $1.25 through the mail, and I still have it. My Monster Number is about to hit 200, and the only cards I've ever sold or traded or given away were duplicates. I haven't really had much of a specific focus, other than starting to collect the tougher backs in the mid-90s. My T206 collecting has mostly been opportunistic, just picking up cards that are reasonably nice-looking for the price when I could find them, which is also the way I've approached Old Judges, T205s, T209s, T210s, T212s, and pretty much all of my pre-war cards.

I'm about a month into collecting t206's and have 6.

As you can imagine it's whirlwind trying to get educated on backs, variations, grades.. Etc... I have zero experience with cards since about 1995.

Tons of fun learning about the cards and the players on them....

Wish I knew what I know now, I would have tons of rare backs and HOF'ers and would have bought them for a fraction of the price in 1995.

Looks like t206's certainly are in great shape from an investment stabdpoint as it seems they have climbed steadily in value over the last 30-40'years.... Even low graded commons.

I'm really enjoying myself and this site has basically made it possible.
Thanks!

One thing that has really helped me is taking on other sets and continuing to collect other individual cards that I like as well. I only collect when I feel like it too, I don't force anything. When I first started collecting T206's, I went at it like I was going to finish the set within a few years...but in reality I knew it would take a lot longer because I'm not one that has unlimited funds. I've set a modest goal every year that doesn't push myself or my pockets too much. If I don't hit it, it's no big deal, but it gives me something to strive for. I figure I'll finish the set (518) within fifteen years from my starting point...which is fine with me.

What is hard for a lot of people when starting the Monster is the fact that it will be a marathon to finish the set and it's easy to get bored or complacent...and that's where my other collections have helped me out. I don't know where I'd be if I only collected T206's...probably in a mental institute! :eek:

I do think the smart way to go is to collect a small subset and if you want to extend your focus from there, test it out. This set, even in low condition will cost you thousands of dollars to complete.

I asked this to a friend of mine the other day....

Anyone here ever taken their entire collection, liquidated it and then just put it all back into one really nice card?

Example: sale a near complete nice conditioned set of t-206's and then find/buy an eddie plank or something similar (minus the Wagner)..

Or is the fun of collecting and having multiples the top priority?

You make many valid points here Mike. Slow and steady is a key because once your done then what is there? I agree the best way to approach this is through subsets and I may back up and try that approach.

I did something like this a couple years ago, although I didn't really plan it out the way it happened. I had about 200 t206, mostly raw and low grade, and I decided I was bored (and out of money) of just picking up a decent common here and there. I also realized about that time that I like cards in around VG, or at least with that eye appeal. So, I sold like 150 t206, and then ended up spending on the money of nice mid-grade e95s of Matty, Cobb, Cicotte, Willis, Collins, and a few commons.

I think as long as the trade makes you happy, there's no wrong way to go about it.

Love reading about various collections/subsets. I worked/am working on a team set with as many different back variations as possible. That project has stalled as I'm looking for a Barbeau / Carolina Brights combination.


Switched gears and am now working on portraits of pitchers who pitched in the major leagues in 1909 minus Plank. Plenty of caveats, but it reduced the # of targeted cards down to 30. Trying to collect them in order of their 1909 strikeout total.

I was thinking about this because I've always wanted a 52 Mantle. I'd have to sell off a good portion of the collection to get the one I really want. Still on the fence.

I have thought this same thing before as I could sell a good portion of my collection and make a '52T Mantle appear...but I doubt it will happen anytime real soon because I love browsing my collection. I have also thinned my collection of stuff that I can live without, so most of my collection contains cards/memorabilia I don't want to part with. Time will tell on this one and we all know things and feelings change :cool:

Much like many others I jumped in and just started collected random T206s. Then I realized it was just too much so now I'm just focused on HOFers and am selling off the non-HOFers I've collected. This at least has a reasonable number of cards and once I have most of them, I'll figure out my next steps.

Real easy for me to say sitting here with only (6) t206's (one on the way!), but if I had an extensive collection and a Plank etc... came my way, I think I'd take the super rare/expensive investment piece over a lot of nice cards that could be added up to potentially produce the one card.

I'm assuming a Plank could be had for 20-30k?

I think it depends on how you assembled your collection. If I had like 500, but they were all common backs, and lower grade, I think I might trade them all for one or two iconic cards. But if you have spent years adding difficult to find backs, variations, and rarities as well as searching for cards with the best eye appeal I couldn't imagine trading that collection away. It would just be too hard to replace it.

I didn't do that exactly, but in 2003, after collecting T206s for a year, I bid on a Plank. I lost out at the end (I had bid $11k, it went for $12k). I told myself that I would keep buying commons, and get the Plank "someday."

I realized later that I should have made the Plank the priority. You can always find the small cards, but the big ones are hard to come by, and they always hold their value. So my advice to the newer collectors, Jimmy, Josh, etc., is to make whatever sacrifices you can for a special card. You won't regret it, and it will be the centerpiece of your collection. And you can always sell, usually at a profit, if you need to.

It worked out okay for me, three tries later I got my Plank. But I still regret not going harder for that one in 2003.

PS- that same Plank that I just missed sold again in 2010. For $75,000.