[the 'stache]

Picking 5 cards out of a set of 524 is no easy task, I realize. But I would like to know which cards from the T206 set our collectors find the most striking.

Please include pictures, and give credit for any images you do not own.

I'll start the ball rolling. I will say it was quite difficult to narrow down my favorites to only five. As a rule, I prefer portrait cards most of all. But I certainly enjoy all the others. As a group, I love the way these five look together:


(pictures courtesy of t206resource.com)

My favorite five right now (which could change tomorrow):
1. Walter Johnson portrait
2. Ty Cobb bat off shoulder
3. Christy Mathewson dark cap
4. Larry Doyle with bat
5. Willie Keeler portrait

What can I say about the Johnson portrait? If I had to pick my favorite baseball card of all-time, it might very well be this one. A great picture and color scheme. You could frame this card, and put it in the Louvre, and it wouldn't look at all out of place. It could pass as a work of art by one of the Dutch masters. The Cobb bat off shoulder shows the legendary batter's icy gaze and incredible concentration. The Matty dark cap is my favorite of all his white border issues. I would be hard pressed to pick which of his cards I would want first: the T206, his T205 gold border, or any of his T202s. I love the attention to detail shown in the Larry Doyle; it makes this a personal favorite. And the classic pose of the Keeler portrait makes this a must in my top 5.

I had a few others that were very hard to leave off the list: Tris Speaker, Dutch Revelle portrait, Zack Wheat, Mike Donlin with bat, Nap Rucker portrait, Nap Lajoie with bat, Eddie Collins portrait...

Let's see your choices, guys!