Temptation to Collect the T206 set....

[eb28010]

Hi all,
I'm a newer member, not very agile on computers and I am "tempted" to start collecting the T206 set. So the first thing I did was I looked up the definition of temptation-
"the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise".
Strike 1

I was taught at a very young age to not be afraid of monsters but I don't think my folks ever confronted this one.
Strike 2

I have read that collecting it is a lifelong process that never has an ending. I've also read where the quality of certain cards may have to be sacrificed due to their availability or cost. I have never purchased a card for $1000+ dollars that has a crease! I am overwhelmed with how to collect the set. I hope some members might share their experiences, their strategies and the do's and don'ts of how to collect the set. I have a 1968 set with 65+ graded psa 8 or higher cards of mostly the Hall of Fame players that I thought I might sell/trade in an effort to get off to a good start. I appreciate any guidance? Thanks in advance!

[jsfriedm]

It might already be too late for this, but I would just put in a plug for the T205 set instead:

1)Better-looking
2)More affordable
3)Actually has information about the player and stats on the back, not just tobacco advertising

[Vintagedeputy]

Originally Posted by jsfriedm

It might already be too late for this, but I would just put in a plug for the T205 set instead:

1)Better-looking
2)More affordable
3)Actually has information about the player and stats on the back, not just tobacco advertising

Agree 110%

I actually think T206 is an ugly set and not very well done. I’m a huge T205 fan.

[MVSNYC]

T206...the greatest set of all time, IMO. I bought my first one in 1991, been hooked ever since (now my son is hooked too).

My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

[brianp-beme]

Or track down multiple of the same card fronts in order to pull off some fancy scanning.

Brian

[Orioles1954]

In my opinion, I always felt the T206 set to be kind of boring. T212 Obaks far surpass T206 in design.

[Wanaselja]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

T206...the greatest set of all time, IMO. I bought my first one in 1991, been hooked ever since (now my son is hooked too).

My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

This is the way. Keep it focused to get yourself started. I did the HoF portraits first and am now looking to finish off all of the HOFers. My plan is to try the SLers after that. I don’t know if I’ll go further than that but between those 2 subsets I’ll have 20% of the set and almost all of the expensive ones.

[Casey2296]

-
The good news is there are plenty of T206s available by far, compared to any other pre-war set so whatever way you want to collect you should be able to hit some goals, I'm not a T206 guy but do collect a Piedmont portrait run because I love the Horner images.

Whichever way you go best of luck to you and welcome to the sub.

[rand1com]

You never know when you might find a large lot of cards.

Just 6 short years ago, I bought a near set of 503/520 for $35K. Obviously missing 17 of the higher dollar cards but at the time I could have completed it in 2's for about another $30K. But, since I am a dealer, I flipped it as bought.

About 4 years ago a small card shop in SC bought a grouping of well over 300 different with a bunch of duplicates for a total of near 400 at an estate sale for $5K.

Granted, it is difficult these days but a nice near graded set of 518 sold in an REA auction a month or so ago for around $100K which was a bargain. The average grade was right at a 3 with most of the cards graded by SGC and a few by PSA. The O'Hara and Demmitt St. Louis versions and a Magie error which were broken from the set were bought for around another $20K so for $120K you could get a graded near set of 521/524.

Of course, most of us can't lay out $120K at one time but there are some possibilities out there if you look hard enough and get very lucky.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

.......My advice to people wanting to get into T206 is...focus on building a "collection" of cards, rather than a "set". Don't pressure yourself to get every card. There's so many ways to collect T206- HOFers, Southern Leaguers, Rare Backs, teams, printing errors, etc...Pick a focus to start with, and hit the ground running! Good luck.

Couldn't agree more with Mike. There are many subsets within the Monster. Don't let the sheer size stop you....I've learned a lot from my start 25+ years ago. I got so caught up in collecting the set, I branched out into buying biographies on many of the players.

Listen to the audible book, "The Glory of Their Times" and tell me listening to them tell stories in 1st person about their playing days. That will inspire you. One of the best audiobooks out there on the deadball era (also has a paperback version with slightly different content),

[jsfriedm]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Listen to the audible book, "The Glory of Their Times" and tell me listening to them tell stories in 1st person about their playing days. That will inspire you. One of the best audiobooks out there on the deadball era (also has a paperback version with slightly different content),

Better yet - buy the paperback, and pay close attention to the cards on the cover.

[ChiSoxCardboard]

Originally Posted by eb28010

Hi all,
I'm a newer member, not very agile on computers and I am "tempted" to start collecting the T206 set. So the first thing I did was I looked up the definition of temptation-
"the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise".
Strike 1

I was taught at a very young age to not be afraid of monsters but I don't think my folks ever confronted this one.
Strike 2

I have read that collecting it is a lifelong process that never has an ending. I've also read where the quality of certain cards may have to be sacrificed due to their availability or cost. I have never purchased a card for $1000+ dollars that has a crease! I am overwhelmed with how to collect the set. I hope some members might share their experiences, their strategies and the do's and don'ts of how to collect the set. I have a 1968 set with 65+ graded psa 8 or higher cards of mostly the Hall of Fame players that I thought I might sell/trade in an effort to get off to a good start. I appreciate any guidance? Thanks in advance!

I've never owned a T206 and am similarly awed but intimidated at the thought of starting to collect it. I will not be starting in the immediate future.

However, let me know if you decide to pull the trigger on selling off the '68 set!

[ALBB]

Would never do it, would not even come close to finishing in my lifetime !

[Rounded Corners]

I started collecting the set about a year and a half ago after several months of deliberation. I hadn’t collected vintage before, but now I’m hooked and add a card to the collection every week or two. My recommendation would be to buy one you like and see if the set takes.

[steve B]

I've been "working" on the set since I think 1978 or late 77.

More in spurts, or finding deals on occasion. Sometimes looking for nice ones, sometimes not caring about wear and damage.

I'm about halfway there.

Realistically if I'd focused I could have got nearly complete back when I started. Now many of the better cards are out of reach.

It's also a set you can collect in small batches. the horizontals, just one series, just one brand. All the backs from one player. Pretty much anything that you like.

[mybuddyinc]

Slow and steady wins the race ................. Patience is a virtue .............

As mentioned above, there are unlimited ways to collect T206s.

Have a favorite team ???? Have a favored back ????

Start there, imo ..............

Here's a great web-site and check lists:

https://www.t206resource.com/index.html

I've been playing with T206s for 20+ years, and still use it regularly.

Fun, fun, Scott

[Kevin]

I have about 320. Need 2 of the Cobbs, need 2 of the Mattys, 1 Walter, 2 Cys and 1 Nap…

I retire in 5 years. I’d like to close on those guys before then

Why didn’t I put 10% of my party budget in my 30s towards cards?

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Why didn’t I put 10% of my party budget in my 30s towards cards?

Hilarious, love it Kevin!

Anyway, I agree t206 is the greatest set of all time.

I started around 2007, stopped, sold a bunch, then dove back in and eventually made it to 520. Sold off almost all of them but I still have 40 or 50 I can't seem to part with. I collected all the "mainstream" pre war sets, but t206 is the king in my mind for dozens of reasons.

Agree with those who wrote: Pick a niche and start there, see where it takes you, have fun, and don't shy away from changing course. They are generally plentiful and relatively easy to liquidate if you change your mind.