[FrankWakefield]

First, Rob, that is a mighty fine Demmitt Victory card. One to be proud of.


Now... Those frustrating white border tobacco cards, most call them the T206 set.

Set is a bit of a misnomer. Let's collect 'em all, but hold on, let's pass on Wagner. Or, let's pass on Wagner and Plank. OR, no need to bother with Wagner, Plank, Magie and that confusing Doyle card.

So it is about where you draw the line.

For me, first time I chased those cards I ground to a stop around 512. Grrrrr. I recall when I'd been a few cards over 500 for a while that a fellow asked me where I was on them... I told him I lacked O'Hara, the two Cobb portraits, Young with that glove, and a few other commons. I said I had all of the minor leaguers. That prompted him to ask about the southern leaguers, and I responded that they were minor leaguers, I had them. I sold almost all of them to a good hearted, knowledgeable board member. And after a bit, I was at it again. This time around, age has become an additional factor in the chase.

Contemplation had me thinking that this second try at gathering the cards, i might pass on the Southern Leaguers... but I live an hour away from Nashville, so I kept those 48 cards among the ones I wanted to gather. How many different players are in T206? I don't recall at the moment, I think it's in the high 360's. So, maybe a place to draw the line is to aim for a card of each PLAYER is in T206, but subtracting out Wagner, Plank, Magie, and Doyle; and maybe Demmitt and O'Hara if you want. That does make the chase MUCH more manageable. Instantly, you'll only need one Cobb (and truthfully, I really like that bat on shoulder Cobb card). You'll only need one Young, one Johnson, one Mathewson... one McGraw instead of 4, one Tinker instead of 5!!! And you can get the New York versions of Demmitt and O'Hara and save a bundle.

Second time around I knew (and still know) that I wanted a decent Demmitt and a decent O'Hara. I sold a not so great but ok O'Hara to a fellow collector who wanted to make payments, which I accommodated, he made every payment in a timely fashion. I like Demmitt and O'Hara. Like them very much, slightly more partial to Demmitt. When I commenced round two I chased Demmitt and O'Hara first, my thinking was that there are more green Cobbs out there than the tougher Demmitt and O'Hara's. That logic remains true, but the green Cobb demand pushes harder on the Cobb prices than the prices on Demmitt and O'Hara. I don't see someone not liking them as their reason for not collecting them; I think they say that when they mean that they cost more than they wanna pay.

I think you draw your own line. 524, 521 or 522, 520, 518, 470 (518-48 southern leaguers), or wherever you choose. Or just collect a select few of the teams. The Cubs are fun, it's neat to sort them by series and spread them out, to see then uniform changes. I have the Giants, but golly there's a BUNCH of white border Giants. As a Cardinals fan, I smile a bit because the St. Louis Cardinals aren't that difficult. If you do a team or a few teams, consider sorting the cards by team, as kids of 110 years ago did, instead of the alphabetical order that the catalogs utilize.

Golly, I might sell Demmitt and O'Hara if the price keeps increasing. But I don't think they're overpriced in comparison to other T206 cards; not any more so than other white border cards.

Is Lajoie in 1933 Goudey?


Rob, that's a great looking T214 Demmitt.