Net54baseball.com Forums - How much have things changed in 10 years?

No estimate, but I used to love seeing completely raw T206 near sets being offered. I think that time has passed. Here is the original lot description for those estimators out there:

1909-1911 T206 White Borders Near Set of (519/524) with O’Hara Variation
Lot Number 1

Quantity: 1 Bid Starts: 03/16/2011 12:00:00
Bid Open: 7500.00 Bid Ends: 03/30/2011 23:30:00
Bid Count: 11 Overtime: 30 Minutes
Currently: 19000.00 Time Left: Ended
View Count: 6125
Start <--> Next Lot

Description
Upon release by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) during the early summer of 1909, the pint-sized cardboard renderings of contemporary baseball stars became a runaway marketing success for the next two years. A century has passed since Cobb, Johnson, and most notably Wagner starred in the 1909-11 T206 White Border designation; however, demand for their “pictures” has not waned. Securing examples from this famed series is often considered a rite of passage, as holding a tangible piece of baseball history often leads to a lifelong quest to amass “The Monster.” Offered is an impressive 1909-1911 T206 White Border near set of (519/524) that includes an extremely challenging O’Hara team variation. The approximate condition breakdown is as follows: 5% (VG-EX to EX), 15% (VG), 35% (GD), 25% (FR) and 20% (PR). Nearly 20% of the lower-grade cards display a combination of wear including paper loss, tape residue or writing with an additional 10% having sustained varying degrees of trimming. The overall composition of the all-important advertising backs is as follows: (440) Piedmont/Sweet Caporal, (34) Old Mill, (27) Polar Bear, (13) Sovereign, (2) Cycle 460, (1) American Beauty 460 Unframed, (1) El Principe De Gales and (1) Tolstoi. Featured are Hall of Famers/Stars: (81 cards, all common backs, unless noted, 10% VG to EX, 26% GD, 35% FR, 29% PR with four trimmed) with Cobb (FR, Bat Off Shoulder), Cobb (FR, Bat On Shoulder), Cobb (PR, Green Portrait), Cobb (VG, Red Portrait, Polar Bear), Crawford (GD, Throwing), Evers (GD, Portrait), Jennings (VG, One Hand Showing, Old Mill), W. Johnson (PR, Hands at Chest, Polar Bear), W. Johnson (FR, Portrait), Lajoie (GD, Portrait), Lajoie (FR, with Bat, Sovereign), Lajoie (VG-EX, Throwing), Marquard (GD, Follow-Through, Cycle 460), Mathewson (GD, Dark Cap), Mathewson (GD, Portrait), Mathewson (VG, White Cap), McGraw (VG, Portrait, with Cap), Speaker (GD), Tinker (GD, Bat Off Shoulder), Walsh (VG, Sovereign), Willis (EX, Portrait), C. Young (GD, Bare Hand Shows), C. Young (PR, Glove Shows, Polar Bear), C. Young (GD, Portrait); Southern Leaguers: (48 cards, 27 Old Mill, 18% VG-EX to EX, 17% VG, 18% GD, 17% FR, 30% PR with five trimmed) with Breitenstein (VG), Foster (VG, Old Mill), Guiheen (VG-EX), Helm (VG-EX), Kiernan (VG), McCauley (VG, Old Mill), Orth (VG-EX, Old Mill), Paige (VG-EX, Old Mill), Revelle (EX, Old Mill), Ryan (VG-EX, Old Mill), Seitz (VG-EX), Shaughnessy (VG, Old Mill), C. Smith (VG), Stark (VG), Thebo (VG), Violat (VG-EX Old Mill), Westlake (GD), F. White (VG-EX); Key Variations/Errors: (7 cards, all common backs, unless noted) with G. Brown (trimmed, Washington), Dahlen (VG-EX, Brooklyn), Elberfeld (PR, Washington), Lundgren (FR, Chicago), O’Hara (FR, St. Louis, Polar Bear) and F. Smith (FR, Chicago & Boston, American Beauty 460 Unframed). This desirable near set is missing only Demmitt (St. Louis), J. Doyle (N.Y. Nat’l), Magie (available separately in this auction), Plank and Wagner for completion. Due to rudimentary factory printing techniques of the age, slight size variances are present. To view this magnificent collection in greater detail, several images are available on our website along with grades for all Hall of Famers/stars, Southern Leaguers, variants and tougher backs.

It should be noted that although nearly 20% of the backs have sustained varying degrees of back damage due to neat removal from period albums, the fronts appear nicer than the resulting technical grades.

Hall of Famers/Stars: (81 cards, all common backs, unless noted, 10% VG to EX, 26% GD, 35% FR, 29% PR with four trimmed) with Baker (PR), Beckley (FR), Bender (GD, No Trees), Bender (FR, Portrait), Bender (VG, with Trees), Bresnahan (FR, Portrait, Sovereign), Breshanan (GD, with Bat), M. Brown (GD, Chicago on Shirt), M. Brown (FR, Cubs on Shirt), M. Brown (trimmed, Portrait), Chance (FR, Batting), Chance (FR, Red Portrait), Chance (FR, Yellow Portrait), Chase (GD, Blue Portrait), Chase (FR, Dark Cap), Chase (GD, Holding Trophy, Polar Bear), Chase (PR, Pink Portrait), Chase (FR, White Cap), Chesbro (FR), Cicotte (FR), F. Clarke (PR, Portrait), F. Clarke (FR, with Bat), Cobb (FR, Bat Off Shoulder), Cobb (FR, Bat On Shoulders), Cobb (PR, Green Portrait), Cobb (VG, Red Portrait, Polar Bear), E. Collins (PR, Portrait), J. Collins (FR), Crawford (GD, Throwing), Crawford (trimmed, with Bat), G. Davis (FR), Duffy (GD), Evers (GD, Portrait), Evers (PR, with Bat, Chicago on Shirt, Polar Bear), Evers (FR, Cubs on Shirt), Flick (trimmed), Gandil (GD), Griffith (PR, Batting), Griffith (GD, Portrait), Huggins (PR, Hands at Mouth), Huggins (PR, Portrait), Jennings (GD, Both Hands Showing, Polar Bear), Jennings (VG, One Hand Showing, Old Mill), Jennings (GD, Portrait), W. Johnson (PR, Hands at Chest, Polar Bear), W. Johnson (FR, Portrait), Joss (FR, Pitching), Joss (GD, Portrait), Keeler (FR, Portrait), Keeler (PR, with Bat), Kelley (PR), Lajoie (GD, Portrait), Lajoie (FR, with Bat, Sovereign), Lajoie (VG-EX, Throwing), Marquard (GD, Follow-Through, Cycle 460), Marquard (PR, Hands at Thighs), Marquard (FR, Portrait), Mathewson (GD, Dark Cap), Mathewson (GD, Portrait), Mathewson (VG, White Cap), McGraw (FR, Finger in Air), McGinnity (FR), McGraw (FR, Glove at Hip), McGraw (trimmed, Portrait, no Cap, Sovereign), McGraw (VG, Portrait, with Cap), Speaker (GD), Tinker (GD, Bat Off Shoulder), Tinker (PR, Bat On Shoulder), Tinker (FR, Hands on Knees), Tinker (FR, Portrait), Waddell (FR, Portrait), Waddell (PR, Throwing), Wallace (PR), Walsh (VG, Sovereign), Wheat (PR), Willis (EX, Portrait), Willis (PR, Throwing), Willis (FR, with Bat), C. Young (GD, Bare Hand Shows), C. Young (PR, Glove Shows, Polar Bear), C. Young (GD, Portrait);

Southern Leaguers: (48 cards, 27 Old Mill, 18% VG-EX to EX, 17% VG, 18% GD, 17% FR, 30% PR with five trimmed) with Bastian (FR, Old Mill), Bay (PR, Old Mill), Bernhard (GD), Breitenstein (VG), Carey (GD), Coles (PR, Old Mill), Cranston (PR, Old Mill), Ellam (FR, Old Mill), Foster (VG, Old Mill), Fritz (GD), Greminger (PR, Old Mill), Guiheen (VG-EX), B. Hart (PR), J. Hart (FR), Helm (VG-EX), Hickman (FR, Old Mill), Hooker (trimmed, Old Mill), E. Howard (FR), A. Jordan (GD, Old Mill), Kiernan (VG), King (trimmed), LaFitte (GD, Old Mill), Lentz (FR, Old Mill), Lipe (trimmed, Old Mill), Mannion (GD, Old Mill), McCauley (VG, Old Mill), M. Miller (FR), Molesworth (trimmed, Old Mill), Mullaney (PR, Old Mill), Orth (VG-EX, Old Mill), Otey (PR), Paige (VG-EX, Old Mill), Perdue (FR, Old Mill), Persons (PR, Old Mill), Reagan (trimmed), Revelle (EX, Old Mill), Rockenfeld (PR, Old Mill), Ryan (VG-EX, Old Mill), Seitz (VG-EX), Shaughnessy (VG, Old Mill), C. Smith (VG), S. Smith (GD), Stark (VG), Thebo (VG), Thornton (GD, Old Mill), Violat (VG-EX, Old Mill), Westlake (GD), F. White (VG-EX);

Key Variations/Errors: (7 cards, all common backs, unless noted) with G. Brown (trimmed, Washington), Dahlen (VG-EX, Brooklyn), Elberfeld (PR, Washington), Kleinow (FR, Boston, Polar Bear), Lundgren (FR, Chicago), O’Hara (FR, St. Louis, Polar Bear), F. Smith (FR, Chicago & Boston, American Beauty 460 Unframed);

Horizontal Cards: (6 cards, all common backs) with Birmingham (GD), Mullin (VG-EX), Murphy (PR), Pattee (FR), Pelty (VG), Powell (FR);

Uncommon Backs: (36 cards) with

Cycle 460: He. Wagner (FR, Bat on Right Shoulder;

El Principe De Gales: Covaleski (GD);

Old Mill: (6 cards) with Dunn (GD, Brooklyn), P. Graham (GD), Lake (PR, No Ball in Hand), Owen (GD), Scott (VG), Weimer (VG);

Polar Bear: (19 cards) with Abbaticchio (VG, Blue Sleeves), Arellanes (GD), Ames (VG, Hands Above Head), Donlin (GD, with Bat), Doyle (FR, N.Y.), Elberfeld (VG, Fielding), B. Graham (FR), Knight (GD, Portrait), Mattern (VG), McIntyre (VG, Brooklyn & Chicago), Milligan (GD), O’Leary (FR, Hands at Knees), Rhoades (GD, Hands at Chest), Rucker (FR, Throwing), J. Sweeney (GD), J. Tannehill (VG), Wilhelm (VG, with Bat), Willetts (GD), Wiltse (PR, Portrait, with Cap);

Sovereign: (9 cards) with Batch (FR), Criger (FR), Dougherty (FR, Portrait), Doyle (VG-EX, Throwing), Kruger (PR), Leach (VG), Mullin (VG, with Bat), Murphy (VG, with Bat), Wiltse (GD, Portrait, no Cap);

Tolstoi: Doolan (FR, Batting)

Brian