T206 - My only hangup...
 

Ok, so I recently posted about my new found appreciation of T206 cards. What I particularly like best honestly is that barring about 5 players (who I will likely never be able to afford anyway) I don't know who any of these guys are and can focus solely on the pure aesthetics and color palettes of the cards themselves which seem to all have around the same value anyway.

That being said, the more I read about the set and get more excited about beginning a collection, one thing has just kinda bugged me. Part of the joy of owning post-war vintage cards for me has been knowing that that exact card - a Clemente, Aaron, etc. may have been a kid's prized possession - up on his dresser his entire childhood as an homage to one of his heroes which I can relate to. As these cards were made for kids by candy companies, there is a more romanticized notion that these cards were treasured by previous owners and that I am owning a piece of that history as well. By the sheer fact that T206 cards were made for cigarette and tobacco pouches, it seems inherent that they were owned and collected by adults (although maybe some taken home and given to kids I suppose). In general though, baseball at the turn of the century probably was more of an adult spectator sport (at least as far as most of the old footage showing the stands would indicate) as opposed to a "family friendly" game which it became more after the wars and suburban migration, TV sets, marketing to kids, etc.

I guess my question is, does this aspect of these otherwise very appealing cards bother anyone else at all?

Evidence shows that t206's were cherished by kids when they were issued...stories of kids asking older men for them after purchasing their cigs as well as kids scrounging them from the floors and disgarded cig packs...so I think you're ok on this front.

And let’s be honest, tobacco companies have been peddling to kids since before baseball went professional...

Dig around on the site a little. There are actually period newspaper articles about the lengths kids would go to in order to obtain their T206's!

I think Pat R has a bunch of these articles saved. I'll pm him to see.

This is awesome, thanks for the insights guys. Actually just the responses I was hoping for!

As far as not knowing the players, you can spend a long time reading about the prewar game and players and get familiar with their legends and stories. "The Glory of Their Times" by Lawrence Ritter is a great starting place. It's an awesome book with stories told by the players themselves from interviews that Ritter had with the actual players.

It's a great time in baseball and there are lots of characters and heroes and villains.

You could also pick up Tom Zappala's book The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories:

https://www.amazon.com/T206-Collecti...7677793&sr=8-1

If you want to learn about the players of that era, may I suggest the SABR books Deadball Stars of the National League and its American League counterpart. Not all the players are in the T206 set, but many are.

Matt, kids LOVED the cards of “the baseball men”. There are countless articles from newspapers about how kids are mobbing smokers and begging for cards etc. There is at least one thread on net54 with several of such papers. These cards were an absolute sensation.

There is no set with more history than t206. Hundreds of players, from numerous leagues. 20+ hall of famers. 15+ different advertisements (if you include t213-1, t215–1, Cobb back, and blank back which of course is not an ad), and color, factory and series variations of each. Error cards, color variations, numerous posses for certain players. Before diving in, I highly suggest you read Scot Reader’s treatise on t206, as well as several other books and articles (Derek Hogue has a great book), and really learn about some of the players, teams, card variations, etc.

Here is a link to Scot’s treatise: http://www.oldcardboard.com/t/t206/i...al-edition.pdf

The Glory of Their Times is a great book! I didn't know many of the players interviewed, but their stories were fun read and my introduction to some of the great players of the era that were not named Ruth or Cobb. Ritter tracked down these players from the early 20th century and interviewed them in the early 1960's - many years after they had retired. The story of tracking down Sam Crawford is great.
Each chapter is each player's own words. When I got the book about ten years ago, I read it front to back. The great thing about this book is you can open it up and go to any chapter in the book. Great first hand stories by these players! It makes me wonder though how they can remember so much detail after so long and how accurate those stories are. It's a fun read nevertheless.

The book mentioned is The T206 Collection, and below is a link to a thread by one of the book's contributors. The second edition evidently has real cards pictured, instead of reprints.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=262888

Brian

Better yet, listen to the players’ voices that made up the book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Pl8JI4pyg

Stories
 

I have found that many of the players stories are absolutely intriguing, I have been following the early hockey players as well. Also gives a great glimpse of the early 1900's in terms of healthcare, education, employment, and what the players endured to get from game to game or what they did in the off-season. Quite a difference from what our current players endure!!!

Thanks guys! Ordered a copy of Glory of Their Times on audio CD to listen in the car on work commute. Looking forward to it!

I think this 1880's tobacco card speaks for itself.

Jeff

The cancel F08 was used in Barking, Essex. Near London.

The stamp was issued in 1881 and the catalog value is about 27.50 (My catalog is pretty old, so it's probably changed)
It could be more if it isn't plate 23, but I can't tell. The plate number is hidden by the cancel.