The other side of the fence

[familytoad]

Hello my name is Brian and I am a prewar baseball card collector/addict.

But...I don't collect T206.

Sure, my collecting tends to favor HOFers so I have some of the (76?) T206 HOFers in my collection...but I skip over the commons, SLers, rare backs, miscuts, 350-460 factory designation stuff rather easily. They are neat cards but they don't fuel my addiction at all...

The recent abundance of them on BST, from Steve's Beanie lots to other lots and singles barely tempted me at all...

So, who is with me? I am not a hater, believe me...but I haven't felt the Monster's urge in the 40 years I have been collecting baseball cards (22 vintage, prewar)

Maybe there are too many out there?
Who else feels lukewarm on the classic white borders?

[Kawika]

I hear you, Brian. I'm not enslaved by the Monster although I must have about 75 or so. I enjoy all the T206 sidebars like back brands, Southern Leaguers etc but the main reason I have collected T206s at all is that some of them are just so damn beautiful. Throw in all the fascinating bits of history, they become irresistible. The same can be said about cards from many other issues, so my collecting habits are all over the map. It's like looking at pretty girls (my second favorite hobby); they're hot in any language. I love 'em all.

[Trl3789]

While I find the t206's interesting, the T205's have consumed my life

[ls7plus]

I'm with you too, Brian. I collect stars and hall-of-famers, and try to emphasis very scarce to downright rare! It gives me a lot more freedom to go after some really neat cards that I like, and I think the upper echelon hall-of-famers will always be worth more than commons in many cases, even though the latter may be much more rare in some instances. The overall demand isn't there.

Larry

[53Browns]

I am with you guys, I only have one T206 (pictured). Hey Kawika, what is that Cracker Jack Matty in your posting? Is that a tin sign or a print of some sort? I love it and want one! Thanks!

~Bill

[DixieBaseball]

While I think it is a wonderful set, I don't actively collect them, but do own 13 T206's... the reason I own the 13 cards is b/c they relate to my collecting focus of Nashville baseball players. I owned a 48 card sub-set of the Southern Leaguer's years ago, but have not felt any urge to get back into the T206 game. I will say that the variety of backs is probably one of the more cool things about the set. Here is a sampling of my T206 collection... 4 Brown Hindu's :

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by 53Browns

Hey Kawika, what is that Cracker Jack Matty in your posting? Is that a tin sign or a print of some sort? I love it and want one! Thanks!
~Bill

Bill: The Matty is an acrylic painting done by Jennifer Ettinger, wife of Max Weder who posts mostly on the memorabilia side. It was a commissioned work a few years ago. She has done numerous other "cards" for other collectors. Here is a link to a page on her website that shows some of them (small pics unfortunately): http://www.ettinger.ca/lewis.html

She and Max are big-time supporters of minor league baseball in Vancouver, B.C. Reproductions of Jen's work grace the local stadium.

[Gradedcardman]

I have wavered on the monster and whether to try and finish it again less the big 3. I had the set once before and sold it...the Magie I had is one of the PSA 3's currently in the REA auction. I have decided to try and initially complete the set with at least 50% of the cards having backs other than SC and Piedmont. That has made the challenge much more fun. The 205's are beautiful and the Beantown lot from Steve was great. I may start from there but will wait to decide after the grades come back.

[PolarBear]

The T205's are more like "true" baseball cards in that they have team logos, write ups and stats on the back instead of being just a tobacco premium like the T206's.

T205's and T218's are probably my favorite sports sets of the tobacco era but I'm really disappointed that the T205 set doesn't have many of the big stars of the era. If only they had really made it a 400 subject set.......

[rhettyeakley]

I'll take it one step further...

Hello my name is Rhett and I am a prewar baseball card collector/addict.

But...I REALLY DISLIKE (Borderline hate?) T206's!

I own over 3,500 pre-WW2 baseball cards and I literally own ZERO T206 cards (on a similar note I own (3) T205's, (1) 1933 Goudey, and (0) 1934 Goudey's)

[Rob D.]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

But...I REALLY DISLIKE (Borderline hate?) T206's!

I think that would be "white-borderline" hate.

[nolemmings]

Geez Rhys and Rhett, don't sugarcoat it, tell us what you really think

I'm not a T206 guy either--once tried it (didn't inhale) and still have a handful of them, so I don't consider them poison or anything.

Actually, I believe T206s to be a great example of the "to each his own" doctrine. The cards are very attractive, IMO, and the great number of ways to collect them makes them a solid hobby choice. I no doubt will add some from time to time.

Still, the collector in me wants a bit more of a challenge. I consider T206s a set that (absent the big 3-4) is fully doable at any time at almost anyone's grade of choice, limited only by dollars. You can finish it pretty much whenever you want if your wallet allows, assuming you're not trying to snag only the scarcest backs. That is actually a positive for many collectors, who don't want to bog down on sets that have some cards so elusive it could take decades to finish. I get that.

Me, I like to chase sets that will take time to complete due to some level of scarcity, such that no matter what money I might have at a given time there are going to be cards that just aren't readily available to buy. I also don't see set completion as such an accomplishment that it must drive my collecting--I prefer to meander over time and fill in what I need the best I can. This is what is most attractive to me about type collecting, although I like chasing a set or three also to satisfy other hobby hungers.