Posted By:
Frank Wakefield1. Get him The Old Ball Game, by Frank Deford. It isn't a great book, but it is a good enough book to kindle an interest in baseball about when T206 white border tobacco cards were distributed. It isn't expensive and is easy reading. There are other books that would fulfill this goal, that one just came to mind.
2. Get 2 sets or copies of Mr. Lipset's excellent Encyclopedias. The originals were in 3 separate volumes, #3 about T cards may be the best for a beginner. Or they are offered now as a 3-in-1 deal where they've been reprinted. As I said, get 2 sets, one for him, and one for you, so you guys can email or communicate about the cards and sets, that way you can literally "be on the same page." These are more important that the Standard Catalog. These will help you understand the set. The Catalog is good for a price guide, so it would be secondary to the Encyclopedias.
3. Get him a few T cards. If he has a favorite team, get him cards of that team. If he's a Reds fan, get him 3 T206s of Cincinnati players, maybe a T205 of a Redleg, and a T207. That way he can see the diffences, and see if he wants to chase down the others of the set of the team. That would be a manageable goal. And attainable goals are important in the early collecting process.
4. Email or correspond with him on some regular basis. Mention a card that is on eBay and send him a link. Send him a card if he has all A's and B's at the end of a semester, and a card on his birthday. This will have collecting as a common interest that you two will share.
Frank.