Quote:
Originally Posted by jcc6252
Hello experts, I would like to learn more about T206's. In your opinions, what are the top ten most collectible/tradeable/sellable cards in this series? Also, any information about how much back variations matter would be helpful. Of course, this subject has probably already been discussed. If so, could anyone unearth the thread for me?
Thanks, Jim
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Hi Jim,
If all the cards were available to me at the same condition level, say a strong PSA 5, well centered with nice, white borders, deep, rich colors, no tobacco staining, I'd probably go with these ten:
Honus Wagner,
portrait
Eddie Plank,
portrait
Sherry Magee,
portrait (Magie misspelling)
Joe Doyle,
pitching, (N.Y. Nat'l)
Ray Demmitt,
St. Louis Amer.
Bill O'Hara,
St. Louis
Ty Cobb,
portrait (green background)
Ty Cobb,
portrait (red background)
Ty Cobb,
bat on shoulder
Ty Cobb,
bat off shoulder
The first six are "the big six". Originally, there were four super cards, the Wagner, Plank, Magee misspelling and the Joe Doyle New York variant. The Demitt and O'Hara were later added. From the other cards in the set, the four Cobbs are probably the safest bet. Many think he's the greatest player to ever play the game. In this condition, the Cobbs would go for a bundle, and their upside is pretty much unlimited.
If you didn't want four Cobbs, I'd take the Cobb with the green background, or the bat off shoulder. The other three cards, then, I'd take the Cy Young
portrait, the Napolean Lajoie
portrait, the Christy Mathewson
dark cap, and the Walter Johnson
portrait.
Obviously, this assumes that there are no rarer backs involved. If these four are all Piedmont, Sweet Caporal and Polar Bear level backs, they're not a consideration. When you get comparable cards with rarer backs, then that has to be factored in.
Back scarcity rankings are provided
here. There may be some variance, but this is a pretty good reference. This will give you an idea of which card backs start commanding more money. At some point, the backs start becoming more of a consideration that the card fronts themselves, at least on commons, some lesser Hall of Famers, and the minor leaguers.
Then you can start looking at Southern Leaguers. They weren't printed as long as the other cards, and they were printed in smaller runs (short printed).
This will all be discussed in detail throughout the forum's history. There are two different ways to go about searching. One is to use Google. The other is the forum search function. I always used the advanced search here. I think Google, in my experience, usually lays out the articles.
You want to ask yourself why you're buying. Are you doing it as a collector only? Are you considering the cards as an investment? Or, maybe a little of both, as I do. I am a collector first, but I am cognizant of the upside potential of these cards. That being said, for the more expensive cards, I will almost always buy graded. PSA cards will command more than SGC cards because of the popularity of their registry. Both PSA and SGC, in my experiences browsing eBay and buying, exceed Beckett in what they will command on the open market.
If you are seriously considering collecting the monster, Jim, my advice to you would be to learn absolutely everything you can about the set. Look how other people are doing it. Familiarize yourself with the resources. Identify a list of good, trustworthy dealers. Buy from the BST here whenever possible. I would also have a plan heading into the collection. Understand that if you do go all in, it will be a time and money investment, and it's not easy. But it's fun, and you will learn a lot as you go.
When buying graded cards, buy the card itself, and not the grade. Know that centered cards can command a premium. Ultimately, just have fun. That's the most important thing.
Good luck!
Bill