Temptation to Collect the T206 set....

[eb28010]

Hi all,
I'm a newer member, not very agile on computers and I am "tempted" to start collecting the T206 set. So the first thing I did was I looked up the definition of temptation-
"the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise".
Strike 1

I was taught at a very young age to not be afraid of monsters but I don't think my folks ever confronted this one.
Strike 2

I have read that collecting it is a lifelong process that never has an ending. I've also read where the quality of certain cards may have to be sacrificed due to their availability or cost. I have never purchased a card for $1000+ dollars that has a crease! I am overwhelmed with how to collect the set. I hope some members might share their experiences, their strategies and the do's and don'ts of how to collect the set. I have a 1968 set with 65+ graded psa 8 or higher cards of mostly the Hall of Fame players that I thought I might sell/trade in an effort to get off to a good start. I appreciate any guidance? Thanks in advance!

[jsfriedm]

It might already be too late for this, but I would just put in a plug for the T205 set instead:

1)Better-looking
2)More affordable
3)Actually has information about the player and stats on the back, not just tobacco advertising

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by jsfriedm

It might already be too late for this, but I would just put in a plug for the T205 set instead:

1)Better-looking
2)More affordable
3)Actually has information about the player and stats on the back, not just tobacco advertising

Agree 110%

I actually think T206 is an ugly set and not very well done. I’m a huge T205 fan.

[MVSNYC]

T206...the greatest set of all time, IMO. I bought my first one in 1991, been hooked ever since (now my son is hooked too).

My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

[brianp-beme]

Or track down multiple of the same card fronts in order to pull off some fancy scanning.

Brian

[Orioles1954]

In my opinion, I always felt the T206 set to be kind of boring. T212 Obaks far surpass T206 in design.

[ChiSoxCardboard]

Originally Posted by eb28010

Hi all,
I'm a newer member, not very agile on computers and I am "tempted" to start collecting the T206 set. So the first thing I did was I looked up the definition of temptation-
"the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise".
Strike 1

I was taught at a very young age to not be afraid of monsters but I don't think my folks ever confronted this one.
Strike 2

I have read that collecting it is a lifelong process that never has an ending. I've also read where the quality of certain cards may have to be sacrificed due to their availability or cost. I have never purchased a card for $1000+ dollars that has a crease! I am overwhelmed with how to collect the set. I hope some members might share their experiences, their strategies and the do's and don'ts of how to collect the set. I have a 1968 set with 65+ graded psa 8 or higher cards of mostly the Hall of Fame players that I thought I might sell/trade in an effort to get off to a good start. I appreciate any guidance? Thanks in advance!

I've never owned a T206 and am similarly awed but intimidated at the thought of starting to collect it. I will not be starting in the immediate future.

However, let me know if you decide to pull the trigger on selling off the '68 set!

[ALBB]

Would never do it, would not even come close to finishing in my lifetime !

[Wanaselja]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

T206...the greatest set of all time, IMO. I bought my first one in 1991, been hooked ever since (now my son is hooked too).

My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

This is the way. Keep it focused to get yourself started. I did the HoF portraits first and am now looking to finish off all of the HOFers. My plan is to try the SLers after that. I don’t know if I’ll go further than that but between those 2 subsets I’ll have 20% of the set and almost all of the expensive ones.

[Casey2296]

-
The good news is there are plenty of T206s available by far, compared to any other pre-war set so whatever way you want to collect you should be able to hit some goals, I'm not a T206 guy but do collect a Piedmont portrait run because I love the Horner images.

Whichever way you go best of luck to you and welcome to the sub.

[rand1com]

You never know when you might find a large lot of cards.

Just 6 short years ago, I bought a near set of 503/520 for $35K. Obviously missing 17 of the higher dollar cards but at the time I could have completed it in 2's for about another $30K. But, since I am a dealer, I flipped it as bought.

About 4 years ago a small card shop in SC bought a grouping of well over 300 different with a bunch of duplicates for a total of near 400 at an estate sale for $5K.

Granted, it is difficult these days but a nice near graded set of 518 sold in an REA auction a month or so ago for around $100K which was a bargain. The average grade was right at a 3 with most of the cards graded by SGC and a few by PSA. The O'Hara and Demmitt St. Louis versions and a Magie error which were broken from the set were bought for around another $20K so for $120K you could get a graded near set of 521/524.

Of course, most of us can't lay out $120K at one time but there are some possibilities out there if you look hard enough and get very lucky.

[Rounded Corners]

I started collecting the set about a year and a half ago after several months of deliberation. I hadn’t collected vintage before, but now I’m hooked and add a card to the collection every week or two. My recommendation would be to buy one you like and see if the set takes.

[steve B]

I've been "working" on the set since I think 1978 or late 77.

More in spurts, or finding deals on occasion. Sometimes looking for nice ones, sometimes not caring about wear and damage.

I'm about halfway there.

Realistically if I'd focused I could have got nearly complete back when I started. Now many of the better cards are out of reach.

It's also a set you can collect in small batches. the horizontals, just one series, just one brand. All the backs from one player. Pretty much anything that you like.

[mybuddyinc]

Slow and steady wins the race ................. Patience is a virtue .............

As mentioned above, there are unlimited ways to collect T206s.

Have a favorite team ???? Have a favored back ????

Start there, imo ..............

Here's a great web-site and check lists:

https://www.t206resource.com/index.html

I've been playing with T206s for 20+ years, and still use it regularly.

Fun, fun, Scott

[Kevin]

I have about 320. Need 2 of the Cobbs, need 2 of the Mattys, 1 Walter, 2 Cys and 1 Nap…

I retire in 5 years. I’d like to close on those guys before then

Why didn’t I put 10% of my party budget in my 30s towards cards?

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

.......My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

Couldn't agree more with Mike. There are many subsets within the Monster. Don't let the sheer size stop you....I've learned a lot from my start 25+ years ago. I got so caught up in collecting the set, I branched out into buying biographies on many of the players.

Listen to the audible book, "The Glory of Their Times" and tell me listening to them tell stories in 1st person about their playing days. That will inspire you. One of the best audiobooks out there on the deadball era (also has a paperback version with slightly different content),

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Listen to the audible book, "The Glory of Their Times" and tell me listening to them tell stories in 1st person about their playing days. That will inspire you. One of the best audiobooks out there on the deadball era (also has a paperback version with slightly different content),

Better yet - buy the paperback, and pay close attention to the cards on the cover.

[Johnny T]

My T206 journey started in the middle of 2022 with the purchase of a private collection of about 100 cards, which included many HOF'ers...so I was off the ground running...would I have started this set without the bulk purchase, probably not, but I got to 518 (and I'm done) in just 2 1/2 years. Many of the cards I got were right here on Net 54's B/S/T...my condition averager overall is probably between FR to GD with about 150 graded (some as high as a 5) and the rest in a binder. I didn't pay much attention to the backs (which makes it a lot easier), but I do have at least one of all of the backs with the exception of the rarest (Drum, Uzit, Carolina Brights, Broadleaf, Lenox and Hindu). I do have most of my Southern Leaguers in Old Mill and just about every HOF'er is graded. Now I was pretty focused during that 2 1/2 years an have around 60k invested in getting to 518...so not easy, yes...but not impossible...and it doesn't have to be a lifelong quest if you have the funds and are willing to accept the occasional beater until you replace it for a better example (which is what I've been doing for the last 6 months...and continue to)...I have also completed (almost...6 to go!) the T205 set and I must say I like the T205 better...there is less of them, easier on the wallet (though the short prints, HOF'ers, and rarities will challenge any budget), and they do look nicer. Both sets are in a binder and the T205 is in a little nicer condition (GD to VG on average) mostly because pricing of a T205 in VG is similar to that of a GD T206...in my opinion, the T205 is still an undervalued set. In this set, all of the HOF'ers are graded with an average of 3.

Bottom line is I love them both...whether it takes 2 1/2 years or a lifetime, the chase is awesome and so are the cards. If you decide to take the plunge, I wish you the best...

I will say this, I have read many board members say the started and abandoned the chase at some point...safe to say, if you bought well, I don't think you will lose much money in resale, if at all...these cards hold their value very well and are always desired by someone!!!

Good luck with your decision!

Kindest regards,

JT

[Zach Wheat]

Nice story JT. The chase is always fun.

[Cmvorce]

520 seems overwhelming when you’re sitting at 0, which is where I was about 5 years ago. Then I got a really good deal on a dark cap Matty and I was hooked. One of the best looking cards in the hobby in my opinion.

Like others have said, I would recommend starting with 1 or 2 and seeing how you feel about it then. Once I held that Matty I knew I was all in.

If you decide to move forward from there, there are so many ways to go. The way I did was to get one pose of each HOFer first. I figured that would take care of a few of the more expensive cards up front and I always wanted 1 card of every HOFer anyway, so two birds etc. if you go this route and then decide it’s not for you you’ll have no trouble selling or trading t206 HOFers.

From there, I still needed something to segment the set into chunks. If I didn’t do that, it would still seem like too heavy a lift. So my approach is to focus on 1 or 2 teams at a time. Granted, this will take longer, and you end up paying more for certain cards than you would otherwise and missing out on deals for cards from teams you’re not presently focused on, but for me personally the trade off is worth it, having a checklist in front of me of 15-25 cards rather than 400. It makes it seem much more doable. I try to do about a team a year and that pace works for me.

No wrong way to do it though, and the years-long journey is a big part of the joy.

Good luck!

(I currently have Boston AL, Boston NL, Cincinnati, Washington, Philadelphia AL, Philadelphia NL, and Pittsburgh complete, and I’m very close on New York NL and Cleveland)

[pawpawdiv9]

Good advice- I thought about it a few times
Starting again - Cobb and hof portraits for me
and any others that might accompany if it’s in a group
Heck I’m just stuck and expanding to something else

[Leon]

As others have said, there a almost an infinite number of ways to collect T206. I have been doing HOF'ers with big top borders but have slowed on that project for now..
I also put in a vote for the T205 set. One of the greatest looking sets ever, imo...

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Why didn’t I put 10% of my party budget in my 30s towards cards?

Hilarious, love it Kevin!

Anyway, I agree t206 is the greatest set of all time.

I started around 2007, stopped, sold a bunch, then dove back in and eventually made it to 520. Sold off almost all of them but I still have 40 or 50 I can't seem to part with. I collected all the "mainstream" pre war sets, but t206 is the king in my mind for dozens of reasons.

Agree with those who wrote: Pick a niche and start there, see where it takes you, have fun, and don't shy away from changing course. They are generally plentiful and relatively easy to liquidate if you change your mind.