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Posted By: Stephen Mitchell

Thanks to Rich Rubin making available his compilation of hobby references to T206, I have tried to scientifically determine the eventual winning bid.

How, you say?

Well, one of the early articles on T206 was entitled "Baseball Cigarette Card Values" by Preston Orem in the March 1957 issue of The Sport Hobbyist. Here are a few quotes:

"The American Card Catalog, like postage stamp catalogues, does not purport to be an absolute authority on card values. . . Having been during the past year a buyer of may thousands of baseball cards through advertisements, auctions and searches. . . I feel that I have some knowledge of the fair market value of baseball cigarette baseball cards, their comparative plenty or scarcity, and general popularity.

"172 Goodwin small photos, catalog $.25. [Orem's] values: Superb $.50, Very Good to Excellent $.40, Average $.30, $.15-25 for Fair, $.05-15 Poor. Scarce in excellent condition; not too hard to find faded, pin holes or other damage, clipped, etc.

Accordingly, my estimate is: $177.89 - a figure PFA (plucked from air).