[jchcollins]

Disclaimer: I don't really collect prewar for the most part - because I couldn't afford it as a kid, and then I certainly couldn't afford it when I got back into the hobby in my late 30's a few years back. For my money I'd rather get midgrade cards of HOF'ers from the postwar era than beat cards of players I've never heard of from prewar - but I digress. I did grow up learning a lot about these sets, and have had the odd cards pass through here and there in my collection:

I would not disparage T206 as one of the great sets of all time. It was the first major national issue of cards that kids could for the most part get their hands on, and of course the Wagner made it iconic - and probably is the reason that poor condition commons from the set go for $50 and up (on eBay I can't find many even that cheap...) today. It's probably the most important set historically, in part due to those reasons.

My choice here would be T205 however, because if nothing else I would say it's sorely underrated in comparison to T206 and as perhaps the greatest follow-up set of all-time. There are still elements of T205 being reasonable and down to earth that no longer exist with T206, IMO. I think you all have pretty well covered that.