Posted By:
Eric BrehmJimB -- I would guess that most of the distorted statistics we see for graded T206 populations by back type (e.g. Ty Cobb Bat Off Shoulder Sweet Caporal EX-MT 6 "1 of 2") stem from ignorance, or just sloppy use of statistics, but I'm sure there is plenty of deceitfulness in there too. I blame PSA partly for the mess, i.e. for changing their grading and classification scheme for T206's in the middle of the game.
The good news is that the number of T206's that have been identified by back type, and recorded as such in the pop stats, has been steadily increasing over time. I think PSA takes advantage of every opportunity they get (such as reviews and re-holders) to get the new flips inserted. The current number of PSA-graded T206's still with "Unknown Back" is now down to about two-thirds of the total number graded (66,036 out of 98,564). That is somewhat surprising considering that they only made the switch about a year and a half ago (IIRC). But I think it is going to be a long time before the Piedmonts and Sweet Caporals and the rest significantly outnumber the Unknowns.