T206 Drums vs Uzits, Redux

[White Borders]

In some prior threads, it has been speculated that with last year's T206 Drum find in StL, T206 Uzit backs are now more rare than T206 Drum backs.

I came across an interesting article from Old Cardboard eNews Issue #14 (June 2005) titled: "Uzit, Uzit Everywhere". Here is the link followed by the article:

http://www.oldcardboard.com/eNews/20.../eNews14.htm#6

It is well known among T206 collectors and researchers that example cards printed with the Uzit cigarette brand promotion on the reverse are among the most difficult of all backs. So it must have been an eye-popping event when Robert Lifson of Robert Edwards Auctions recently stumbled across a collection of 160 T206 cards.

To Lifson’s surprise, he found that an astonishing 33 cards--more than 20 percent of the total cards in the T206 group--displayed the much sought after Uzit label on the reverse. The cards, along with a number of other non-T206 rarities, will be placed in a future REA auction, according to Lifson.

Cards with the Uzit back are printed in a light blue and were distributed in packs manufactured at Factory 30, District 2 in New York state. The Uzit backs are only found with fronts issued in the 460 series.

The T206 examples were part of a much larger group of tobacco cards that were found still intact after being gathered by the original owner around 1910. Perhaps the most prized Uzit card has Ty Cobb featured on the front.

The collection also includes a T206 Walter Johnson card with a Lennox back, a couple of "red-Hindu" backs, and other rarities. There are also several Broad Leaf backs (three from the ultra-rare 460 Series and one 350 Series), a "red Hindu" back, and other rarities.


It seems that every few years there is a "find" that slightly alters the T206 backs relative rarity ranking (or at least our opinions of the ranking). Of course I doubt that their will ever be a huge BL460 find that causes it to become more common than, say, Polar Bear backs. But I do think there will continue to be occasional finds that keep the relative rarity rankings somewhat in flux. And thus, always providing an opportunity for continued debate on this subject. And for me, one of the really fun things about T206 is that it still has many mysteries to explore, discuss, theorize on, and, perchance, even solve

Best Regards,
Craig

[teetwoohsix]

Great article!!Thanks for posting it Craig.That is the truth,a large find can sort of "tip the scales" when it comes to the rarer backs.

I think these finds are going to continue to happen every now and again,as people pass away,as people buy and renovate old homes and barns,etc..

My grandfather recently passed away,and my gramdmother gave my mother some boxes of his things.In these boxes were quite a few old tin type photos,and other cabinet type photos(not of ballplayers).They were all photos of relatives from back in those days,and we had never seen them before!!!At the time my mother was showing all of these to me,I thought to myself "this is how a "find" happens".

Sincerely,Clayton

[scottglevy]

Agreed.

The thing that makes it even more likely is that original collectors often smoked the same brand of cigarettes. So someone in 1910 could have been an Uzit or Drum man just like you could be a Marlboro or man today. Therefore, the possibility of seeing a block of 10 or 20 or even 100 rarebacks of the same brand in one shot exists.

-SGL

[tedzan]

Craig

That article in 2005 is old news; and, it is not representative of the real world of T206 rare backs in 2010.

Since that article, there have been at least two DRUM finds....the most recent of which included 43 T206's.
As of last count, there are 132 confirmed DRUM cards; and, only 50 confirmed UZIT cards. How many of
these were printed....we have no way of knowing ? However, my argument for UZIT cards being tougher
than DRUM cards is twofold......

(1) With a ratio of 2.6 to 1 (confirmed DRUM's / confirmed UZIT's), there is a higher probability that you
are going to find a DRUM before you will find a UZIT.

(2) DRUM's were printed in the Fall/Winter of 1910. They include T206 subjects from the 350 series and
the 350/460 series (from a possible 270 subjects). While UZIT's were printed in the Spring of 1911 (from
a possible 103 subjects). I'd venture to say that the UZIT press runs were very limited (short-printed), as
the T206 era was at its end. American Litho. started printing it's Gold-Bordered sets by the Spring of 1911.

Perhaps we will eventually find a few more of these 2 rare backs. Whatever, it appears that approx. 1/2 of
the possible T206 subjects in each case were printed, and the other 1/2 are either DRUM no-prints or UZIT
no-prints.


TED Z

[Abravefan11]

Ted -

I think your second point is a great one and probably the true indicator as to which of these two backs could be more scarce.

With that said one large find of either as in the case of the recent Drum find and the actual known examples ratio can shift dramatically.

Given your comparison on the number of available subjects I think the odds are in the favor of another large Drum find before an Uzit one.