New Member intro - T205 focus

[Centauri]

Hey all,

I have been a lurker for a while, but I have some questions and I just can't find the info anywhere.

I intend to complete the T205 set, though I am not "loaded". So I have to make some allowances. My plan is to get one card of each player (not necessarily each variation), and at least one of each back.

I have spent some time on eBay, and am up to 22 so far, with 7 backs. My biggest question is concerning the backs - I have only seen 1 Drum back ($1,300 for a PSA1 graded common), 1 broadleaf, and no Hindu. If I wanted to get one of these, where is the best place? Is it eBay and just keep looking? Are they really as rare as they seem? American Beauty seems to be available, at a nice mark-up. But the other 3 - wow.

As I am aiming in the grade 3 range, buying only PSA/SGC slabbed cards, is counterfeiting much of a risk?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks! Great site!

[Leon]

Drum and Hindu will set you back. Unless they are AUT they won't usually be below $500. The Drum will cost more, not because it's rarer than Hindu, but because of the association with T206s. Keep an eye on all of the auction houses and they do come up every now and then. It could be a few years between Hindu's and it seems the Drums come up a bit more. Good luck and welcome to the forum. I think, and have always thought, the T205s are one of the absolute best looking sets.

[bn2cardz]

The drum and hindu are hard to find, but the scarcities within t206 don't cause the price hikes seen in t206 and are still hidden sometimes. There have been cases of some showing up on ebay without being listed.

I would check out other auction sites also. Don't be scared to venture from ebay and use the other sites. They may be hard to keep track of, but there are some resources bid-brain.com is a new one by a board member that seems to work very well at letting you know when a search of yours pops up in another auction format.

[the 'stache]

Hi Centauri,

I don't really have any pearls of wisdom regarding the T205s, as I haven't begun collecting them yet. Nonetheless, I wanted to be neighborly, and say welcome to the forum. I look forward to seeing the T205s you've added to your collection thus far.

Have fun!

Bill

PS-Leon, those are beautiful examples. Your collection is a never ending treasure trove!

I agree with you they are one of the most beautiful sets. One of the reasons I like the T202 set so much is that the portraits are the same used in the T205 set, though the borders are obviously less ornate. Still, I could see myself definitely adding some examples from both sets soon once I get back into buying again here shortly.

Thank you for sharing!

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Welcome. The gold borders are definitely a good looking set.

[Wite3]

T205 rare backs are degrees tougher than t206. Only a handful of Drum and Hindu backs come up for sale every few years. Drum is scarce but Hindu is tougher (due to a find of Drums in the St. Louis area a few years back---and then, not even that many were found...less than 20 total).

If you search the forum's past posts, you can find a great deal of info. on scarcity and backs.

Leon is dead right with pricing currently but every now and then a "bargain" might be had away from ebay. Just have to keep checking around.

Joshua

PS It took me nearly 15 years to find my Drum back.

[dog*dirt]

Welcome. I would have to agree that the Hindu, Drum and blank backs don't come up for sale often but they are out there. I like the Broadleaf myself because they come up for sale with a little more frequency but are still a tougher back yet affordable.

Also I would not worry about counterfeiting, the best way is to buy some cheaper raw cards by handling a few you will be able to spot a fake a mile away. I think if you are going in the vg range raw cards in that condition will save you money in the long run. Good luck!

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

I agree 100% that handling cards is the best way to tell the difference. I am still learning but I am very confident with t206.

[peterb69]

Always great to talk T205's on this forum

[EvilKing00]

Welcome ! Great to have another t205 guy around. I cant add much to whats already been said except just be patient.

[ethicsprof]

welcome aboard!
My first T205, back in 1983, was Christy Mathewson. You've picked some
beauties to collect.

all the best,
barry

[Leon]

This set is gorgeous and there are a thousand ways to collect it. It is (arguably) a better value than it's T206 counterpart because that set has skyrocketed lately.

I am not sure we count the blank backs as a different back as I don't believe they were issued in packs of smokes. If I had to pick a set to collect this would be at the top of my list, or very close to it.

[T205 GB]

Welcome to the board from a long time t205 collector and researcher. I agree with what has been said already in regards to backs. Pied 42's have become really scarce and costly in the last few yrs and AB's have jumped up there in price and have become tougher. Cycles are very abundant so just wait for an eBay action for that one because most asking prices are retarded except on the SP's which IMO should command much much more due to run size with the Cycles being extremely low. Use the search option and read up on some past 205 threads.

Leon you should just bite the bullet and put a set together. I know it's not your focus but like you said its one set you have a soft spot for.

[AddieJoss]

Centauri,
I agree with the others on the T205 backs. Knowing who the short print cards are is important in this set. Also, the minor leaguers are not too tough but great looking cards and fun to collect.
Also, you may eventually want to get the variations, I know I found that fun/interesting/challenging after working on the basic set.
Cory

[Pythonfactory]

Welcome and good luck with the collection.

Here are two lists of current/upcoming auctions:
http://www.auctionreport.com/
http://oldcardboard.com/calendar.asp

[T205Guy]

Hello and welcome to Net54. You picked a GREAT set to collect! You might want to check out the link below - Ron has done a nice job with the site and you will find plenty of info to help you out...

Enjoy

Ed

http://www.t205resource.com/

[Ronnie73]

I also agree the T205's are a great set to collect for many reasons. I'm near completing the front/back scans on the website for nearly all the combinations. I also have a few variations to add. Should be cool to see all the backs of every card on one page with clickable links to larger scans.