pre T206 era

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Posted By: steve

I have always considered the pre T206 era to be uncharted waters with only minimal collector interest.

The reason I have never considered this territory is beacause none of the players made it into the first HOF selection. If King Kelly was really that good, wouldn't he have made the initial selection with Ruth, Matty, etc.

However, as I grow older, I find myself scouting out for a possible card purchase from this era.

My research and worldly knowledge, haha, lands upon two names - pitcher Radbourne and Cap Anson. If one were to seek the pinnacle of 1800's are these the two most worthy names? Others for suggestion?

For sheer eye appeal-ability, from what set/s are these players shown best? And are they available in a true EX grade or better?

thanks, steve.

oh, by the way, where can you get 'em?

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Posted By: Rhett Yeakley

I'd throw the names Ed Delahanty and Kid NIchols in the mix. Both being arguably the best of the 1890's at their position. Also, Cy Young did most of his work before the t206 era.

All are available, but will be pretty spendy. Of all 4 Radbourne would be the most affordable. You can pick up a N172 Billy Nash that includes a sliding 'Ole Hoss for much less than a similar card with the name "Radbourn" written on front.
-Rhett

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Posted By: JimB

On pure aesthetics, I think the N28/N29 sets are the best looking 19th century sets. Radbourne is not in either one, but Anson is in N28 along with 5 other HOFs. N28s are not too tough in ex, ex/mt, nm due to the heavy card stock. Some, like Comisky are very tough in super high-grade.
JimB

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Posted By: Jimi

I agree with Jim. N28s are gorgeous cards and a set I wish I had back. Beautiful, especially when you get one in mid to high grade. You can get both Radbourne and Anson in the n284 Buchner Gold Coin set. I'm not a huge fan of that set, but they ARE both in it. However, IMHO, Anson's best looking card is his n162 card.

Jimi

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Posted By: Jared

My favorites are the N162's and N28/29's. Both have great color and artwork. Like Jim said, the N28's are not hard to find in EX or above because they're thick, and they're up often on eBay. Can't say the same about the availability of N162's...I've been trying to land an affordable baseball player from that set for about six months now.

As far as names are concerned, I don't have any suggestions. Those sets contain a handful of HOFers, but I think it's fun just to have a 120 year old baseball card so I don't target any specific players. Plus I don't know a lot about most of the players, so owning a Kelly over a Glasscock gives me no extra satisfaction -- I'd rather spend the difference on a Ruth/Cobb/etc.

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Posted By: T206Collector

...own just one 1800's card, it would be one of these:



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Visit http://www.t206collector.com for signed deadball card galleries, articles and more!

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

All of the above are great choices.



Buck Ewing is another popular choice.



N526 Diamond S or #7 Cigars is a relatively cheap way to pick up a Radbourn.

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Posted By: E, Daniel

Buck Ewing is a great call as he possessed great abilities and a number of 'tools' as one of the pre-eminent catchers of his and following eras.
Young George Wright was one of the first 'naturals', and though his cards are exceedingly expensive - I'd take one of them over nearly any other 19th OR 20th century card....perhaps only the Baltimore News Ruth would hold greater appeal for me!
Wagner, Mathewson, Cobb and Cy Young can all be found in pre-t206 issues if you have the cash, while Commiskey and Mack were both hugely influential in the development of the proffessional game.

Me, I REALLY like the Buchner Gold Anson and have sold off both N172 and N28 issues of his because I found this image more enjoyable.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

There are a tremendous amount of great BB cards prior to T206's. As much as I love T206's,
19th Century cards and earlier 20th Century cards aesthetically are comparable, if not more
beautiful than T206's.

1889 choices......staring with ANSON and KELLY







Or, KEEFE, GLASSCOCK (possible HOFer ?), or BILL CODY (Wild West HOFer)






Consider the 1908 American Caramel E91 cards




Or, the 1908 American Caramel E90-1 cards












TED Z