T206 Trends

[RedsFan1941]

i think most everyone agrees that cobb is king in the t206 set. i also think the consensus is his portraits are always the most popular, with the bat-on and bat-off versions a distant second. you certainly don't need a high-grade cobb, because with demand so high, nicely centered examples in 3 and 4 holders will always be coveted by collectors.

[MMantle7]

What are thoughts on Lajoie or some lesser known HOF's?

[rats60]

You are better off with Wajo, Matty and Cy Young if you can't afford Cobb. I think the gap between tiers of Hofers, stars and commons will just continue to increase.

[DeanH3]

Generally speaking, I would put them in this order.

Cobb > WaJo > Matty > Young > Speaker/Lajoie > remaining HOF'ers.

Portraits sell for more than action poses.

Eddie Collins seems to be undervalued to me.

centered copies sell for a premium.

Good luck!

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by rats60

You are better off with Wajo, Matty and Cy Young if you can't afford Cobb. I think the gap between tiers of Hofers, stars and commons will just continue to increase.

I think this makes a lot of sense. I've been collecting T206 HoFers for a few years and the % increases on Cobb (especially portraits) has not been seen at the same rate with Matty, Cy, and WaJo, especially on their non portrait versions. I especially think Matty is perhaps a bit undervalued. Speaker, Lajoie, and E.Collins seem like decent values as well, relatively speaking.

Also, if it hasn't been said already, the "centering premium" has become more important than ever. You won't find any "deals" on centered HoFers, but your downside risk will likely be limited.

[jasonc]

I've noticed the price of Any T206 Cobb, and the T206 Wajo portrait has gone up the last few years.

It hasn't been discussed, but I think I saw somewhere... since the pre boom era (before 1989), T206's have went up considerably, as compared to post war cards... Mind you post war cards went up but not the growth of T206's have seen.

Anybody the know what Cobb/Wajo/Young T206's were worth in mid 80's... My old beckett doesn't have a list of them; or your average commons?

[steve B]

I bought both of the Cobbs I have back in the mid 80's, one maybe late 80's. They're in pretty rough shape, each was $50.

[T206Collector]

- Have certain HOF's grown more than others or even commons?

I've been collecting T206s pretty consistently over the past 20 years. And there has been a growing separation of certain HOFers like Lajoie and Speaker. I do not see the same rate of growth in Wajo or Matty. Or any of the next tier HOFers.

Cobb has, indeed, set himself way ahead of the pack. An SGC 60 Cobb Red Portrait was equally valued to an SGC 60 Wajo Portrait for a long time. About two years ago, something shifted in the market, and now that same Cobb will cost you three times as much as that same Wajo. I do think Cobb will eventually readjust - particularly on the red Portrait, which was super printed and may have survived better than any other T206 over the years. But, to be sure, there are no signs of a slow down yet!

- What cards or players have you noticed that have leveled off in prices and aren't growing as fast as others?

Certain commons are now well known as being rarer than others. Adkins, for example, sells for quite a premium. Krause, for whatever reason, is the exact opposite.

- Are there any cards that have had a big craze and then began declining in price?

Seems to me Elberfeld Wasington portrait has not retained its value over the years. People also have woken up to the notion that Lundrgen KC may be just as tough as Lundgren CHI. Low grade Demmitts and OHaras (STL) have been pretty flat for awhile.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by jasonc

Anybody the know what Cobb/Wajo/Young T206's were worth in mid 80's... My old beckett doesn't have a list of them; or your average commons?

I have the original printing of Lew Lipset's book from 1986. His prices were for Ex-Mt
Cobb green 300
Cobb bat on 250
Cobb bat off 225
Cobb red 200
Johnson 100
Matty black cap 110
Matty white cap 90
Hof 25
Commons 12-25.

I had started collecting the year before and I know that I was paying 5 for commons, so I would cut those prices in half for values before the boom.No price on Young, but I want to say 40.

[jasonc]

rats 60, thanks for the information... those prices are like wowwwwweee.

[KMayUSA6060]

This thread is an interesting read. Thank you OP for posting.

[rats60]

T205 Cobb was priced the same as the t206 green. Now it is about a third.

[sterlingfox]

Top tier HOFers, especially the Cobbs and other portraits, have shot up in price a great deal in the last year or two.

Rare backs are consistently trending upwards, especially the mid to top tier rare backs (Hindu Brown and up).

As others have mentioned, oddities/mis-cuts/double names/print errors/color shifts/scrap/ghosts/missing color passes/etc, and even blank backs, have leveled off and even come down a bit.

Titus has cooled off quite a bit.