T202 popularity questions

[Archive]

Posted By: Brian Lindholme

I just did a search through the board and noticed that not much is spoken about the T202 set.
My questions:

Are these cards highly regarded, highly priced, highly ignored, highly valued, highly rare or highly common?

Seems like I've senn many with a crease down the middle of the center panel instead of the two side being folded in...that surely messes with the technical grade, but to me , they still present well that way ( I like the resemblance of the T205 cards I guess...)

Anyway, what gives about this classic vintage set?

Brian L
familytoad

[Archive]

Posted By: pete ullman

i HAVE BUT 3 OR 4 T202'S AND i LOVE THEM. oops! I find them to be one of the most beautiful issues ever, I as well love the similarity to the t205's on the ends...the detail in the faces is awesome!!!

A relative bargain still for HOF'ers!!!

They are recently becoming more respected and valuable...but still underappreciated, undervalued under-discussed!!!!

pete in mn

[Archive]

Posted By: Holstein

T202s are pretty popular - much more popular than the T201 set, which has very generic artwork. I believe the T202s are very popular because they have so many HOFers, have action photos on the cener panel, and have individual players on each outside panel. That is a lot of players on a single card. T202s are very fragile and are often found folded - thus very high prices for ex or above examples. There are a couple Network 54 folks who are real T202 experts (I am not one).

Paul

[Archive]

Posted By: Brian Lindholme

I love that line from "A Christmas Story" when the father receives his "leg lamp" in the mail. That's Italian !

Anyway, after my original post I thought I would hunt down my T202 stash. I realized that I had never removed one from the card holders they are in. I have 3 cards , all in screwdowns and 2 of them in VERY nice shape. I liberated one of them and for the first time got a first-hand feel for their fragility. Extremely nice cards, very frail as mentioned.

Thanks for the comments so far... I enjoy discussing baseball cards rather than reading through posts regarding hate mail, hobby pirates, eBay fakes and jealously.

Let's keep it about cards and collecting...it's almost Christmas!

Brian L
familytoad

PS- I'm still laughing about the Acorns though!

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

when I quit. In nice shape, they can really be beautiful, although siome are really ugly--dumb photos, bad lithograhs pf the end-piece players. The write-ups on the back are excellent. Rob Lifson had mine graded (only the best looking, and then, the most important ones) by PSA, because, says he, "T202 collectors like PSA." Here's some really nice ones:



The end panels are exactly like the T205, except the borders are white, and the team logo is missing...not all the T205 players are represented, and I believe there are a few in the t202 that are NOT in ther T205 (is Smokey Joe Wood in the T205?)

They are incredibly thin, and I always think of the crease down the middle as a "western crease,' because we all used to be such RUBES out here. I am a sucker for black and white photography, and considering the date, many of the photos are really excellent, especially for stop-action. It's--what?-24 years since balls hung from strings in the Old Judge set, and you lay down and a guy stood over you, touching you with a ball, for a tag...photography is a great, great art...

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

How respectable can a set be if my brother collects it? A lot of people don't like the size, or the fact that there are multiple players. Conversely, you can get a lot of great players cheap relative tot heir t205 counterparts and your get a lot Conlon photos in the center as a bonus.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

[Archive]

Posted By: John S

The T202's are a great set, definitely underappreciated. Prices have been climbing however, I used to snag commons and HOF'ers for much less just a couple of years back.

[Archive]

Posted By: Darren Duet

T202's are a bargain, one can find a VG Matty or Johnson for about $200. Some beautiful cards, tough variations, 6 Cobbs!, early Wood, and combo HOFer cards--a Classic!

[Archive]

Posted By: Lee Behrens

The T202 set is my favorite and was able to complete it about 3 months ago, doing a little upgrading now. I liked collecting the set because the size was a challenge (132 cards) and there are some difficult but not overly tough cards to complete the set.

The set is really the cheapest way to get a lowgrade nice looking Cobb for around $300. The Matty cards to me are totally undervalued, The Cy Young use to be but has really taken off in the last year. The Speaker Wood cards are my favorites along with the Tinker/Ever/Chance.

I personally do not mind the center crease which seems to be fairly prevalent.

The prices have started climbing in the last 3 months on all grades and very thing EX and above has really taken off.

I think my brother is right about the size being a factor in not collecting the set. I think there are more caramel collectors then T202 collectors.

I think at least one T202 is a must for ever T202 collector.

Lee

[Archive]

Posted By: Bruce Babcock

A great set, and truly unique. I have about four different including Tinker, Evers, Chance. Some day I may try to complete the set.

[Archive]

Posted By: Geno

Does the T202 set have multiple back variations, like Factory numbers or colors? As far as I know, they are all Hassan, but I was wondering if there were any other less obvious variations...

Thanks for the help!
Geno

[Archive]

Posted By: Dave

I know of two back variations. Factory 30 has a redish back. Factory 649 I think has a black back.

[Archive]

Posted By: Geno

So does that mean there are two "complete" sets of 132 possible, or did only some of the cards come with each color/factory?

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

I have about 4 of them. Presentable lower grade ones can still be had at good prices. I think the multi-player element turns off some people. Personally, I like the center panels best. Some classic moments there. Some dull ones too.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

I don't know of anyone who collects one of each--I don't even know if there ARE one of each?

There are so many things that can go wrong with a T202--and therefore, also right--that they tend to grade low, and a really pristine one commands a high premium. There's 1) centering 2) trimming (of a 5 1/4x 2 1/4 inch card! 3)- registration (focus) and color of end panels. 4) clarity and contrast of photo 5) cleanliness of folds in back 6) black printers' lines which temd to go from top to bottom on some cards 7) paper loss ANYWHERE
8) scrapbook, stamp hinge, glue or other residue on back 9) creases 10) card mold, which the thinnness of the cards seems to render them particularly susceptible to 11) general wear, dents and dings--the top of the folds are particularly susceptible to wear ...I'm sure there're a lot more!

A Pristine T202 commands a large premium; if you hold one so the light glances off the end panel, you can see the separate layers of lithography. It's my personal opinion, though, that the new price guide has a near mint (7 or 84) common card priced too high--500.00. Scarcities are mainly the Too Late for Devlin and Devlin Gerts his Man which picture Devlin with the RUSTLERS, rather than the Giants....though the Giants ones are somewhat scarce. The new guide has a couple of common cards at greatly increased priuces--don't know what thaqt's all about...

There are 10 Chief Meyers end panels, and 2 Wood (Smokey Joe). I mention this because there are more Meyers than anyone, and Wood is a hard card to find in any set.

The set came out in 1912, and celebrates the World Serties between the As and the Giants. There are 8 Mattys, 6 Cobbs, 4 Speakers, 2 Johnsons, 1 Wheat, I Walsh, 2 Griffiths, 2 Marquards, 1 Bender, 4 Bakers, 4 Collinses, 3 Breshnahans, 2 McGraws (unless you count the ten center panels on the "Just before the Battle": cards--which you should NOT. HOFers who ONLY appear on center panels command no premium---there arwe two with Lajoie), 1 Young, 2 Tinkers, 1 Brown, too many Everses, Chances and Chases to count.

"Just Before ther Battle" (meaning the World Serises) is the name of a Civil War song, which--I won't subject you to, but I learned both the tune and the words from my grandmother, who wasn't born till the end of the 19th century, so it must have been very popular, and is very corny.

The write-ups on the back of the player lithographs at each end describe the player's record and reputation in prose, and is the same each time the player appears. The write-ups on the backs of the center photographic panel describes the action, and says a couple of things about the players involved.

[Archive]

Posted By: Harry Wallace (HW)

I love the center panels along with the text on the back.

No, Joe Wood does not have a T205 card. If it has ever been checklisted it is probably just a torn off end panel. These come up on ebay once in a while and uneducated sellers think tha they are T205's.

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

[Archive]

Posted By: Geno

I'm not too concerned about nice condition, but I would like to learn more about the back variations. If anyone has anymore info on the backs, I'd love to hear it!

Thanks!
Geno