T206 backs in scarcity order

[cfc1909]

This list is from my collecting expirience and is very debatable. Also, this is just to obtain one example of each back. If you try to complete a subset you will find several backs much more difficult to complete.

This list will also be different for the six super prints.

1. Old Mill brown
2. Lenox brown
3. Broad Leaf 460
4. Drum
5. Uzit
6. Hindu red
7. Lenox black
8. Broad Leaf 350
9. American Beauty 460
10. Blank -might want to take this one off the list all together
11. Carolina Brights
12. Hindu brown
13. American Beauty 350 no frame
14. Sovereign 460
15. Cycle 460
16. Piedmont 350-460 factory 42
17. Tolstoi
18. Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 25
19. EPDG
20. American Beauty 350 frame
21. Sovereign 350 apple green -350-460 series cards only (66 cards)
22. Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 42
23. Cycle 350
24. Old Mill south
25. Sovereign 150
26. Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 overprint
27. Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 42 scroll
28. Old Mill
29. Polar Bear
30. Sovereign 350 series forest green
31. Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25
32. Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 30
33. Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30
34. Piedmont 150 factory 25
35. Piedmont 350-460 factory 25
36. Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25
37. Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30
38. Piedmont 350 factory 25

[Mikehealer]

Hi Jim
Although my experience doesn't compare to yours, my experiences would put
Piedmont fac 42 at #13, Sweet Cap 460 fac 25 at #16, and maybe swap
Sovereign 460 and Cycle 460. Just my opinion.
Thanks again for the list and research.
Mike

[DixieBaseball]

Jim - I noticed the Fact 42 Piedmont slid way down on your list. Interesting... I know there was a thread a few weeks back where dozens of folks were debating if Fact 42 Piedmont fell between #7 or #8 on the toughest backs list. You have it pegged way down to #16 on your list... Obviously know none of this is perfect science, but was curious as to your thoughts on that back. I know you have handled many of these over the last decade.

[cfc1909]

I think this back is overrated but still a difficult back. You can still pick these off ebay if you look hard enough. 10 years ago you could pick up several per week, but as collectors start to hoard these they have become more scarce.

As each collector starts their collection I think the top 8 to 10 and the bottom 8 to 10 will pretty much be the same. All the ones in the middle will have a different ranking depending on what was avalible while you are collecting.

There was a time on ebay when you searched for the more difficult backs, 8 to 10 sometimes even 20 examples would come up and all were a traditional auction. I remember searching for Hindus and 20 auctions were going. Now most of those examples are in collections and not going anywhere.

I know between my 4 or 5 closest collecting friends we have close to 250 Hindus-that is alot of Hindus off the market and makes Hindu much tougher to obtain. Same goes for the backs above Hindu on the list and including Piedmont 42.

There has always been a large number of 206 collectors but now it seems they all also collect the tough backs. In the 90s no one cared about the backs. The goal was to get one of every player crease free. Now The goal is to get every player and at least one example of each advertisement.

Just like I said in my original post this is very debatable. If you took 20 rare back collectors every list would vary. If you started now Piedmont 42 would be higher than 16. I started more than a decade ago and that is where I feel it belongs.

[jp1216]

Jim,
Thanks for the info. The Fact. 42 info is great. Makes sense. (wishing I had started T206s in the 90s....)

[Chicago206]

I like the list as is for the most part. I have a few of my own observations, but with just over 2 months into the hobby, not sure if they are just anomolies. IMO, the blank back needs to be taken down. As a printer's error, it was never intended to be distributed, and therefore isnt really a "variety". I also like the fact that the Cobb was ommited. In fact, about a month ago I printed out the backs list from T206 museum so I could have a checklist of sorts. Before the ink was even dry, I crossed off the Cobb and the Blank back from the list.