T206 Hustler back

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Posted By: Neal Kane

Rumor has it that a collector at some recent west coast show had a T206 with a Hustler back. I understand that it looked authentic. Has anyone heard about this or can confirm the rumor?

Thanks in advance for any info ....

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Posted By: MVSNYC

ummm, sounds like another more obscure issue...i seem to remember a set with Hustler backs in Lew Lipset's book?

maybe someone else wants to jump in here?

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Posted By: peter ullman

the hustler backed t206 was thought to exist by some of the hobby's founding fathers...but...has never been documented. I have numerous hustler backed flags of all nations cards...and I'd venture the t206 was rebacked with one of these...a la phony honus! I do not believe a hustler backed t206 exists.

pete in mn

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

It seems to me that in this day and age, if something so rare and unthinkable as a T-206 with a Hustler back walked into a show, surely someone would have a digital camera to photograph it or somehow display it to the collecting world. Didn't Burdick theorize that Hustler could be a T-206 producer?

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Posted By: leon

There is a distinct possibility that this urban myth might have started right here (see below)...One of Burdicks confidants and best friends was Walt Corson (both were original inductees into the Card Collectors HOF).....this is from Walts collection and into mine....I have shown it before but this is as on topic as it gets....

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Posted By: leon

The Hustler back was definitely made but it wasn't with baseball players. I have seen Hustler backs before....

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Posted By: Steve Murray

This is Mr. Corson's Wantlist?

Looks like he needed the Honus Wagner and two backs, Hustler and Ty Cobb.

Looks like he got a Carolina Brights as that was scrached off the list.

Cool stuff. Never tire of seeing it.

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Posted By: leon

Yes, it was his want list. I have a pile of other stuff from Bray and Corson too...but really haven't gone through all of it....My guess is that Burdick might have thought there was a T206 Hustler, told his friend as much, and that is how it got here....This 3x5 is from late 1950's, I believe....

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Posted By: Bob

I think it is an urban myth. I remember about 10 years ago someone pasted a Hustler back on a T206 and tried to sell it on ebay but back in those days you could actually alert bidders to fraud (unlike ebay today) and it was withdrawn.

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Posted By: dstudeba

I heard that the card was brought to the Hollywood Park show. A friend of mine said he saw it and met the owner who apparently had no intention of selling it but wanted to show it to a few collecting friends. From what I recall the player was a common and the back was similar to the flag issues.

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Posted By: Brian

Dan,

I wasn't at the HP show, but I have seen scans of the front/back. I don't have the scans with me at work, but do have them on my home PC. T206's aren't my bag, so I didn't know what to make of it. The owner emailed me scans a couple of weeks ago when I was vacationing in Carlsbad. I tried to meet up with him when we took Jack to Disney (as I really wanted to see the card in person), but it didn't happen. Still sorry we missed your son's birthday party (it was a bad trip for meeting up with hobby friends).

btw, you still need to send me those horizontals...


Brian

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Posted By: Neal Kane

the Hustler back that was seen at a west coast show was a complete and utter fabrication.

That is all.

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Posted By: dstudeba

Sorry Brian my wife hasn't been house shopping recently so the Obaks are staying with me for a while.

As you know I don't follow T206s, but my impression is as Leon stated the only reference to a Hustler backed T206 is from the index card he showed before. I would have to side with tBob that this is more likely to be a frankenstein card than a true discovery.

There might be a Hustler back out there that hasn't seen the light of day in 50 years, but if it went to a show and was legitimate it would have been a 100 post thread within an hour here the next day. Since no one mentioned it until long after I sincerely doubt it is real.

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Posted By: Brian

Dan,

Send her out shopping, she needs more things -- more expensive things....

As for this being a frankenstein card, I agree and it wasn't presented to me privately as anything other. Scarry to think rebacking a card and making appear authentic is possible.

Had I thought it was possibly legit, I would not have missed the opportunity to see the card in person -- even if Jack had to miss seeing Mickey.

Brian

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Posted By: leon

Two black guys didn't own it did they? It could go with their notorious T206 Wagner Piedmont card....

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Posted By: Brian

I don't think the player image had blue eyes.

And my friend emailed me from California, not Cincinnati.

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Posted By: peter ullman

I have/had a paperback book called most valuable baseball cards which has a picture of the hustler back as a possible back with the rest of the different t206 backs. It's at my parent's house somewhere but I can never seem to find it...anyone else have this book? Here's the back of my Plank w/Hustler back.

pete ullman

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

I, like many of you have mentioned, was always told and read that T206's could be found with Hustler backs - back in the earlier days of collecting. I even remember the old price guides that listed Coupons, Red Cross, Pirate, etc. as T206 backs - they always had Hustler listed as a possible back as well. Now, we classify a lot of these "other" T206 backs as seperate sets of course. To date, the only back listed back then as a T206 back that I have NOT seen is a HUSTLER back (like I said others are now listed as their own sets and not considered T206's of course).

Here is my opinion about Hustler being a legit back in the T206 set. I believe it is very possible. I know the early "checklisters" were deligent in proving cards existed before they listed them in the early checklists. I sincerely believe there was at least one example documented by these early checklisters for it to be mentioned in the first place! It was always listed as one of the "toughest" T206 backs. It could be a completely different set like the T215's, or it could be a legit. T206 back variation. However, I sincerely believe at least one example has been seen over the years and was verified. So, it would be a possibility for others to surface. The good thing is that it is relatively easy to spot rebacked cards. Plus, I am no expert, as I have never owned a non-baseball player Hustler - but, aren't those a different size than a T206?

Another theory I have on these is that a "find" was made years ago. The person let these early checklisters view a card from the find of Hustlers to verify it, then held onto ever how many they found. The collection is probably hidden away somewhere now by their heirs - maybe not even knowing what they have - waiting to be found again! I just hope that if this is the case, the cards were not destroyed in a fire, flood, etc. over the years and will one day be brought to light.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Claims were always made that Hustler was listed as a possible back because it was a back that was common on many non-sport issues, but if this was the case, then why didn't Burdick also think that Sub Rosa and many of the other common non-sport backs were possible with baseball cards?

Jay

I love pinatas. You get to beat the crap of something and get rewarded with candy.

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Posted By: leon

I don't have my ACC at work but Burdick classified SubRosa as 508, I think.....(Sugar made it "N508").....so he did classify them as baseball. Personally I disagree with Scott E on this one. I don't think there ever was, or is, any baseball cards with Hustler on the back...Until I see one ......

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

b/c then you would have to find one for your type collection:). Besides, all of these checklists were around before your time - you "newbie"!

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Posted By: leon

I was about -2 yrs old when this checklist was made.....and yes, I have only been addicted 10 yrs...so I am a newbie but I venture to guess that 10 yrs with the internet was about 50 without it, in terms of learning about the cards....I knew the internet was going to change the world of card collecting when I first started so diverted a lot of savings into it....I think it was one of my better moves so far....certainly better than the restaurant gig

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

I was discussing how eBay changed our Hobby just today. You are correct - education on our Hobby is much faster now than the pre-eBay days! I know a lot people bash eBay on here, but it has been a true blessing for our Hobby. We have all been able to obtain cards we normally wouldn't have and meet some wonderful people and contacts through eBay and the internet! Still, I believe there are some "Huslter" brand Baseball cards out there somewhere!

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Posted By: leon

It's so easy.....all you gotta do is show me.... have a good one...

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Posted By: Kevin Saucier

A little more info:

Like T206 cards, the Flags of All Nations come a wide variety of backs and color variations. Here are 2 different Hustler colors (not faded).



T206's are much narrower, the discovery of a Hustler back baseball card would have a factory crop on one or more sides and have a miscut appearance. As I have heard the story, the back would have a Flags of All Nations back in error. Maybe some day one will surface or maybe it's an urban hobby myth.


Kevin Saucier

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I had a circa 1910 Hustler tobacco box. Hustler referred to a salesman, and the box pictured a man in suit and tie carrying a bag of goods (perhaps baseball card salesman samples!)

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Posted By: Anonymous

Somehow I never caught on that the T59 Hustler backs actually mention the Flags of all Nations Series. Would be tough to make a T206 reprint with a Hustler back then.

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

From your last post, you sound like you are from Missouri!

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Posted By: Brian

In My Humble Opinion, T206 Hustlers must have been sold with Hustler magazine. Rolling on the Floor Laughing Loudly Outward.