t207 or m116

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Posted By: Dennis

I would like some general feedback from everyone if possible. Im new to this forum bt been collecting for a long time here and there. I know the popularity of the t206 series is almost on everyones agenda. Im looking at sarting a new collection( could be late at this time to concentrate on the t207 or m116 sporting life. Any thoughts, ideas, criticisms. I dont know much on these 2 issues so Im looking into them both. I do have several cards in place already.

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Posted By: jay behrens

T207s are an acquired taste. I like them. Putting together this set is not for the faint of heart. Half of the cards readily available, after that, it's a long slow haul to even get close to completing the set. The set can be completed, but it will take a lot persistance and money, as the tough cards in the set are not cheap and there is pretty strong competition for them.

M116s is another set that is an acquired taste that I also like. The set is not easy to complete, with a number of cards, especially the Joe Wood, being very difficult to find. It is much easier to complete than t207 set.

Basically, you need to decide which poison you perfer

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Dennis

Jay, Not that im fond of poison mind you..lol both sets are of interest I just need to swing one way or the other. Collecting does take time money and persistence but the payoff is unique. hard to decide . I was hoping someone here has an interest also and may share knowledge. either way its a great hobby. thx

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Posted By: jay behrens

I believe tbob is working on or has completed both of these sets, so I am sure he will chime in when he sees this thread.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Geoff Litwack

Tough commons are what's tough about T207. I'm about halfway done with the set, and looking over my spreadsheet I notice "Donnelly $112 P-F," one of the tough commons I bought in rough shape and was glad to get because I'd never seen another for sale (at that point.) M116 looks really good to me now, but the grass is always greener!

Best,
Geoff

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Posted By: dennis

Theres quite a few of both sets now on ebay i see tbob is bidding on some. anyone got a price index for the 207. i know its subject today but its worth a shot. If I stay with the 207 set ill sell my wagner m116 and others

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Posted By: BcD

cause T-Bob is collecting them!

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Posted By: Tim Newcomb

My most intense prewar efforts have gone into these two sets over the past 3-4 years. I lack the three "rarest" (and certainly most expensive) T207s, and I lack about 35 of the m116s. I wrote an article for VCBC on the T207 population, and Bob Marquette and I are tinkering with an M116 article for a future issue of Old Cardboard. I love both sets dearly, and some of my fondest collecting memories involve them.

So I'd strongly recommend either to any collector with some cash, a tolerance for obscure players, and a lot of patience. Here are a few random thoughts:

I found the T207s significantly easier to (near-)complete than the m116s, despite all the tough cards people have referred to. This is simply due to the greater prominence of the set. There are MANY more T207 collectors out there than M116 collectors.

For my article I was able to survey nearly 7000 T207s in people's collections, and to draw pretty strong inferences about the relative scarcity of each card. When I tried a similar population survey a few months ago for M116s, I got only a few hundred cards to work with.

Obviously there are plenty more than that, but I believe they are dramatically less common than T207s as a total population. When this is coupled with the fact that there are nearly 50% more cards in the M116 set, the disparity grows even more. As tough as a T207 set is, doing all of M116 would be tougher.

There are many true scarcities in T207, perhaps as many as one-third of the set. But this is also true of M116s: nearly all the cards with "300 Subjects" backs are quite scarce, and this group constitutes one-quarter of the set. The Joe Wood card seems as difficult and almost as pricey as any T207, Lowdermilk and Lewis included. And then there are the rare McConnell and McQuillen variations in M116, which are about as tough and expensive as the T207 Big 3.

Bob M., who has come even closer to completing both than I have, will probably weigh in with his thoughts soon--

Dennis, if you want to email me privately, I'd be happy to talk more about them--

Tim

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Posted By: Rick

Does the t-207 set have a wide variations on size?

I am interested in a buying a Marsans and i found 3 on an ebay store..two raw and one graded. all from the same seller

The grade one seems to no have bottom border? is that normal for the series? all cards seems to be somewhat slanted but both of the ungraded ones have full borders all around.

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Posted By: Rick

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Posted By: dennis

what r the difficult cards in this set to obtain??

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Dennis, you need to get a copy of Mr. Lipset's Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards, vol 3. It was first published in 3 volumes over time. It is now offered in a reprinted combination of one book. Mr. Lipset is on eBay and has one listed now, item # 8770956266.

That book will clue you in as to the tough ones. It is an old, dated, and yet invaluable collecting tool.