Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[GeoPoto]

Card 9: Frank E. "Jerry" Freeman. "Buck". First baseman with the Washington Senators in 1908-1909. 142 hits in 2 MLB seasons.

Jerry Freeman Piedmont 350: Freeman T206 cards are a little less common than some (PSA-437). PSA has graded thirteen Freeman T206 cards at the PSA 7 level and four at PSA 8. The Freeman T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: PSA graded this card PSA 7. The image is clear and clean, and the edges and corners are sharp. The card is significantly cut on a slant. It is also centered high. The borders are fair, but the slant-cut makes them look tight. The back is centered right with moderate fading.

My Entry: Graded PSA 4.5, this card shows minor wear to the corners and edges and moderate surface wear. The card is very well-centered, just the slightest bit left. The borders are outstanding. The back is well-centered with moderate fading and staining.

Comparison: The H/R card presents a nicer image; the surface clutter on my card, especially near Freeman's face, is not ideal. The backs are comparable. The slant cut is an undesirable feature that offsets the surface advantage of the H/R card. My card has bigger borders top-to-bottom.

My conclusion: I like my card more than the H/R card despite the mark near Freeman's face. My card has superior centering and larger borders and is not slant cut. I think it will be hard to find a card with better centering and borders than mine. Perhaps, I can find one with comparable centering and borders and a better surface. Until then, I will keep my card.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I like my card quite a bit, despite the surface blemish. The borders are excellent. The slant cut on the H/R card is not.

Additional Jerry Freeman Fun Fact: He was nicknamed "Buck", presumably after the major league star Buck Freeman, whose eleven-year major league career ended with 4 games in 1907. Buck then played most of the 1907 season with the Minneapolis Millers, hitting .335, while Jerry Freeman played for the same team and hit .362 (in his fourth season with Minneapolis).