my t205 set update!
 

so I started collecting the t205 set on 11/12/12 and just received my 105th card in the set. Slow and steady I guess...right? lol

Anyway was wondering how long it took some of you to complete the set OR how long your still working on the set?

wish I had more cards scanned - post your favorite t205's or best error t205's

Attachment 203003

love the young front - but has 4 small touches of paper loss on back

Attachment 203004

a few with printing issues

Steve,
Congrats on hitting the halfway point.

I've been going slow and steady since 2003 :)

Good Job.

I've been going EVEN SLOWER - since maybe 1996 and am at 195 different...STILL LOVE THE CHASE!!!

Steve -- congrats on your progress, and nice-looking Young!

I got my first T205 sometime around 1991 or 1992, and while they've never been the main focus of my collecting, I've gradually gathered 60+ of them, including several HOFers and most of the backs (all except Piedmont 42, Drum, and Hindu).

I just picked up a PSA 6 chance Hassan back. Card #1. Lol.

awesome! I did a cubs team set with all Sovereign backs andit took about two years (the Schulte and Kroh are on the way)
Attachment 203068

Attachment 203069

Great to hear everyones progress, and congrats mick on your 1st!

Its a great set

As a sad update, it seems that the seller added photos of a graded 6 that looked just like his raw 6. So I am still a T205 virgin. But it's the set I'm going to do.

Congrats to everyone on your pickup. Amazing card set

I started this set in earnest a few years ago and am still not sure if I will do a "master" set or not. Over 200 either way, but still need some of the highest end cards which aren't a priority to me right now ( Hobby no stats, Moran stray line, etc). Great set with some sneaky tough commons that don't get the play of the well-known single prints.
Good luck

If I recall correctly, I started my first T205 set in 1994 and finished all variations and an example of every back advertiser, but still missing the Hobby no stats, in early 2009 (acquired a Drum back to finish the back run). So 15 years (sort of without the Hobby no stats). Avg. condition was fair but no card is missing a piece or has back damage. Creases, writing, folds, stains, fading, scratches, but no back damage:). Avg. card price I paid was $12.50...most I paid for a single card was a tie between Cobb and the Drum back...both clocking in at $300.

Second set of just front variations took me from 2011-2014...avg. condition is f-g...again, no back damage. Avg. price per card was $17.00...most expensive was a Joss at $395.

Now I just hoard...

Joshua

Yeah that darn Hobby no stats keeps me from completing a "Master Set" as well.

HOF Master Set
 

Started with Chance in 2007, now over 55 HOF cards later, the T205 set is still one of my favorites. I won't call my Master Set complete until I get the final four:

Matty Cycle 1 Loss
Collins Mouth Closed Yellow Elephant
Walsh Pink Diamond
Wallace No Cap 1 Line Stats

(Of course, I will probably keep working on back runs and maybe go for "true" Master Set).

Here's a photo (although missing the Johnson, and a few out for grading). Glad I don't have to find that Hobby No Stats.

Dave

Turner!
 

I've always loved that shot of your master set laid out on the floor.
If memory serves me right, you were on a ladder looking down to take the picture. Great set!

And the carpet shows what is missing from most of our sets...Hoblitzell No Stats!

I have a registry set going for T205, naturally rarer variations like Hobby NS , Matty 37-1 or Wilhem "suffered" have eluded me. I'm not usually a variation guy, so I am not entirely certain why I am hunting these.

I do love T205 though. My basic set took an estimated 12 years. I still work on upgrading or slabbing occasionally. I have strongly considered doing another set or some subsets of backs. Maybe some year. 2015 has been a slower year for my collection but I hope that's only because my champagne tastes have overrun my draft beer budget.

Keep them coming, I could look at T205 all day! (Especially today:D)

Awesome cards!

Sell me that MATTY!!!!!!

Started a T205 Cubs set with all known back types and am up to 37 out of 151 possible cards. Starting with mainly lower dollar cards and figure this will take years but so far, so good.

Kmac

Been working on my set for about 6 years or so. I think I've got about 110 different now. Started right away trying to pick up tougher backs (Am Beauty, Cycle, Sovereign, Pied 42, Hassan 30) and variations. Instead of picking up other cards I needed, I started picking up duplicates of tougher cards, or really nice examples at good prices. I've got multiples of cards like Dahlen, K White, Chase, Joss, Collins open mouth, and Bresnahan open mouth. I'll probably never finish.

Do those of you who collect T205s feel they still look nice even in lower grade condition? I was curious as to how the gold coloring has held up over 100+ years. I am new to prewar and am doing some research into different sets, and T205 is one I am curious about. I have seen some older posts where some collectors feel this way and was just wondering what the consensus is...

Depends on what you mean by lower grade condition. Most T205 have some degree of chipping on the edges and sometimes some wrinkles. Also, there are some cards that lower rade is all you can find. Most of the cards I have would grade out SGC 20 but I do have some 10 cards and then I have a few 40 cards. It really varies but this condition really varies widely. High grade is hard to find.

Thanks, Ken. I am talking about cards vg and worse.

Hi, I have a lower grade( 1-3) set along with some extras. If I had to sell my whole collection of cards the 05s are the ones I'd miss the most. Lower grade 05s look great because minor creases are covered by the vibrant colors. The cards can have corner wear without chipping. The gold is sometimes vibrant, sometimes dull but has held up really well on most examples. It's worth it to buy one lower grade example and see if you get hooked.

Thanks for the input, Dennis. Like I said, I am new to prewar and am gathering info on sets that interest me. T205 is one that I am starting to look into. They are nice looking.

I have a good number of low grades, and I feel many of them present very nicely. But the higher grades can be very beautiful

I find that with T205s, eye appeal varies substantially more within the same grades than it does in other sets. Sure, you'll be able to find cards in any set that look great but grade low due to technical issues, but there are wild eye-appeal swings with T205s. I'm building a set in (roughly) all PSA 3. Like Econteacher said, the vibrant colors can hide a lot of wrinkles, but the borders on some of them are a nightmare. Dulling of the gold, along with edge/corner wear and chipping, can make a T205 look pretty chewed up, whereas the same type of wear on a white-bordered card wouldn't look nearly as bad. Here's one example, and it's not even really that bad:

Edge Wear

Then, you have some cards with absolutely gorgeous fronts (usual Polar Bears) that grade relatively low because of staining on the back:

Nice Front, Stained Back

The good news is that T205s are plentiful, and even the SPs (with the exception of a couple) come up pretty regularly, so there's a lot to choose from. But building a set with consistent "cosmetics" is an exercise in patience.

I hear ya, Dan. Good examples. I have considered and have been studying T206 for a while along with some E95s and E96s. I like those cards, especially the T206s. However, I like what I am seeing from the 05s. The 05s interest me because it is loaded with quality HOFers, and the design is growing on me. T205 also is a set that I could actually complete (with time, patience, and $). If one likes to play around with back variations, the 05s offer that as well. They also appear to be a little more affordable than T206.

All great points. The basic set of 208 cards is very doable in VG-ish condition, with only two cards that will set you back $1K or just a bit more (Cobb and Joss). And you don't have to buy four Cobbs! Johnson and Young might run you about $500, and many of the HOFers can be had for about $100. Good-looking commons may only run you $25-30. I'm not super into back runs, but you're only looking at 17 different backs with T205s, as opposed to 38(?) with T206s. The colors and design are also phenomenal and unique, although one board member recently told me he found the T205 portraits a little too "creepy." (Hi Steve :)

That sounds doable. It does lead me to questions. I know I would discover this sooner or later, but do all T205s have multiple backs? For example, is T205 Cobb or Mathewson for example out there in multiple backs and, if so, are most T205 collectors content with one or do they chase different backs of HOFers? And would a basic set of 208 be all of the same back?

See post #7 on this thread:

List of confirmed T205 backs

Also, no, a full basic set of 208 could not all have the same back. There is no one back that is found on all 208 cards.

Thank you, very helpful!

HOF and Back Runs
 

Robert,
I posted a picture in reply #14 to this thread. Although I am a HOF collector, the photo shows multiple copies of many players, especially Chance, Brown and Matty. All of these are back runs, each with a different back. The run of Chance is complete, Brown is missing 4 including the IMPOSSIBLE Drum and Matty missing 3 (Including the $$$$Cycle 1-loss).

I just keep pecking away at finishing the backs of the set that I regard as THE pre-war set to collect.
Dave