Am I dreaming in my hopes of collecting a nice looking PSA 3 T205 set?

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Posted By: neil b. downey

Hi Guys, I was once again going over all of the great pre-war sets again in search of a new project. I have found many cool looking sets that have great player content and loads of historic value. One of these sets that have stuck the most with me is the T205 Gold Border set. I recently bought a PSA 3 NQ E.M. Reulbach that I feel is just what I am looking for. The corners were a little rounded, the edges had a few chips and a very small tobacco spot on the back. I'm pretty good with these flaws overall. However, it was very well centered on the front and the back along with having a clear registry. It also had a pretty clean back (even with the small spot) and had no creases or paper loss. This is a really nice card in a PSA 3 holder. Am I just dreaming to hope that I could put together a T205 PSA 3 set that has many cards that look like this one? Also, I am unsure how many cards make up a set. The SMR says 209 and the registry says 220. I noticed a bunch of cards that look like they have variations of the same player. If this is true, shouldn't there be a basic and master set on the registry? I have a lot to learn about this set and needlessly to say, a lot of cards to still get. I was hoping that I could pick the brains of some of the T205 experts and perhaps pick a few nice PSA 3s from your extras pile. Any info, advice or even cards for sale would be great. Thanks for your time, Neil

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Posted By: Richard Masson

T205 has always been one of my favorite sets. It is generally overlooked, especially in terms of the registry. One set is far and away the best. This has eliminated competition over time and for that reason, you don't see the usual suspects competing at silly prices for individual cards. You will find about 2/3 of the set generally available. The Reulbach is very nice in terms of eye appeal. Most VG cards have some plainly visible loss of the gold on the border, not just rounding corners. Finding VGs without this flaw will be tough. If you want them all to look like the Reulbach, look for 4s and 5s.

Even so, the cards are cheap relative to other cards of the era, IMHO.

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Posted By: Ray

Neil,
The T205 is a great set, but Rich is right. Getting cards that look like your Reulbach in PSA 3 will be tough. I just started this set myself a few months ago, and was shooting for PSA 3's as well. However, I personally quickly learned that it would be a lot easier on the wallet to just shoot for PSA 2's with decent eye appeal, and get an occasional 3 every so often. While I don't have a ton of info on this set just yet (because like you, I'm still learning), here's a few links that may help you out somewhat.

Good luck, Ray

http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/message/1168817135/Pondering+the+T205+Set
http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/thread/1169051810/last-1169056536/T205+Patrick+Moran+%26quot%3Bstray+line%26quot%3B

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Posted By: Dylan

While registy collectors might not be paying silly prices on common player NM-MT examples, popular hof'ers like Cobb or Mathewson sell for HUGE money in high grade due to how difficult condition wise they are.

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

Any idea of what a PSA 3 T205 Christy Mathewson will cost at auction.

Peter

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Posted By: Brian

Try a little site called ebay.com, search for current or completed auctions. Were the questions on the bar exam this difficult?

Also, why pull up a thread thats 10+ days old to ask an obvious but hardly related question?

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Guys,

What's ebay?

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Posted By: Ronald Haynes

as a semi-regular lurker it is possible that I miss threads and hence don't have all the historical context of discussions between board members at my disposal. Nevertheless Brian, wouldn't a simple "Check out Ebay as there are some completed auction results available for this card" suffice?

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Posted By: peter chao

Ron,

Why thank you for such a polite response. Actually, the reason I gave this thread a bump was to see if we can get a discussion going on T-205s. It seems like we spend a lot of time discussing T-206s and ignore a lot of other nice sets.

Peter

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Posted By: leon

One of the first really nice cards I bought was a PSA 7 T205 Johnson....from Scott B.....I think I paid about $1800 for it and it was twice what I had ever paid for a card to that point. I have always thought the T205 set was one of the nicest looking sets around. Also, if I am not mistaking, it's the first set to have stats on the back.....

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Posted By: Bob

True, but 1911 Obaks have stats on the back also.

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Posted By: peter chao

Consider yourself lucky to have that PSA 7 Christy Mathewson, it's seldom seen now days in that condition. If the card is well-centered you can virtually name your price in this market.

Peter

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Posted By: leon

Like I say it was Johnson...and I sold it on ebay right before the 7's started skyrocketing ........day late and a dollar short.....regards

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Man, this is the kinda stuff ya just can't make up. Keep 'em comin' Peter C.

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Posted By: peter chao

Sorry for the misquote, I guess I was still thinking about the PSA 3 Christy Mathewson. But still the T205 Johnson is a nice card and darn if you had held on to it a little longer...

Peter

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Posted By: Richard Masson

Chill out, Greg. Go read another thread and relax....

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Posted By: RC Mckenzie

You do have to admit that the initial question is like asking, "Can I find a nice running used Honda Civic for under $6000?"

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Posted By: Pcelli60

That PSA 3 Matty could run up to 800.00..This set in that condition range can be fun putting together! Enjoy!!

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Posted By: peter chao

PC,

The centering on the T205 Matty is important if the PSA 3 was well-centered it would probably get quite a bit more than $800.

By the way, I've no excuse for confusing Matty with Johnson, just a long day at work. Nothing more and nothing less.

Peter

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Posted By: Peter Spaeth

There is a PSA 3 well-centered Mathewson on ebay stores with a BIN of 995 or best offer which likely means the seller would take significantly less.

I was not aware this card was particularly difficult to find well-centered.

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Neil:

I'm working - slowly - on a T205 set that's mainly in VG to VG-EX condition. I'm mostly patient about the cards, and mostly don't stray above SGC 40 or 50, and buy a lot of cards raw and have them graded myself.

A couple of the cards that I really like, like the Zach Wheat, I've looked for in slightly higher grades. But I can say that despite the propensity for border chipping, it is entirely possible to build a nice, low grade set that is rich with deep color and beautiful portraits. I'm a little less than 50% complete at this point.

A couple of examples of nice, lower-grade T205s:





It really is a beautiful set. Smaller than T206, and completable thanks to the lack of a Wagner or Plank-type rarity (save for the Hoblitzell, of course). Tough backs, tough minor league cards, and some cool variations add to the challenge.

The cards, I think, are among the more beautiful issues of the era. Best of luck if you decide to make a run at it.

-Al

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Posted By: dennis

these days anyone who is not wealthy is dreaming in putting together (any)pre ww1 set(s). but if you have a goal/time/(and a few xtra bucks) and stick to it ness. i am sure you can do it.but don't get caught up in the grade on the lable, buy cards that look nice to you and fill the holes, thats what collecting is all about.