T206's and T205's

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Posted By: Jay

Hi, I am new to the forum and wondering if someone could help me. My father-in-law just recently gave my wife and I about 100 or so T205 and T206's. They were in plastic sheets and I have since taken out the good ones, put them in sleeves and then put them in 1/2 inch plastic screw downs. They are authentic and alot of them aren't in very good condition. There are a few notable ones that are in pretty good condition though; Ty Cobb (bat on shoulder) and cy Young (portrait). Also there's another Cy Young (green and yello background) and Christy Matthewson (black hat). I was wondering exactly how rare these cards are?? How many are there out there?? And also, should I get them graded?? I certainly don't want to send them through the mail to get graded and I haven't heard of any big shows around here. I also wonder how tough they actually grade these things...I mean they are almost 100 years old and I think in good condition considering, but what if I get them graded and they give them a low grade.....are they worthless then?? Anybody please give me some guidance. Thanks alot

jay

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Posted By: Bob

Jay- Welcome to the forum. Lower condition cards are never worthless and even if grading companies give low grades someone out there will still desire them. I would recommend two things:
Buy an SCD catalogue through Amazon or maybe get a cheaper one on ebay and check the prices listed; and,
Study ebay to see what similarly conditioned cards are selling for. You can use the current listings link but also check the completed listings for the last 30 days to get an idea.
Sending them through the mail may always be an adventure but they will be insured. I have had umpteen mail in grading transactions over the years and have only had one shipment lost (UPS' fault on the way back) and one card lost which was hand delivered at a national. The chances are excellent you won't have a problem there.
Good luck,
tbob

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Posted By: Zinn

Yes Jay, welcome aboard.

Here is the ebay link that will provide a wealth of comparison info for the cards you have.

http://sports-cards.listings.ebay.com/Baseball-MLB_Singles-Pre-1930_W0QQfclZ3QQfcoZ1QQfromZR11QQsacatZ31717QQsocm dZListingItemList

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Posted By: Matt

jay - you should look on ebay to see what the values are in different conditions - you can try a few of teh cards that you mentioned to get an idea.
You'll have to decide how much time you want to invest into selling them; to maximize your dollars, youd be best going through the submission process to a grading company and then listing them on ebay one by one. That process will take 6-8 weeks or so (assuming you don't splurge for the express service) and will cost several hundred dollars up front, but you'll make it all back.
If you're willing to compromise on bottom line for the sake of expediency, you can probably find people on this board (Including myself) who would be happy to make you offers on the lot.

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Posted By: Jay

Thanks for the responses, Ill check some of them out on e-bay. Also how rare are these cards, it seems like everyone on this board has some. Well, if I scan them, would anyone be interested?? thanks again.

jay

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Posted By: Dave F

Jay, T206's are as plentiful as pre-war cards come...but they are still considered to be the "holy grail" of sets. My advice...if you can scan some in, do that and post them here...we may be able to help with which ones you should have graded and which ones not....as far as selling them...don't make any rash decisions up front. I think you'll end up sorry if you sell them quick...especially before getting some graded...

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Posted By: JK

Jay,

While not rare by prewar standards, t206s and t205s are rare when compared to modern cards. Even though everyone here might own the cards you have, there will be buyers out there. To give you an idea about value, the cobb, if graded a 3, would probably sell somewhere between 900 to 1200. The Young portrait, probably in the 500-800 range. Common cards (ie non Hall of Famers) will be much less. These estimates might also vary considerably if your cards have one of the rarer backs.

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Posted By: JimB

Jay,
T206s in general are not that rare, but it is the most popular baseball card set from the era, so there is also a lot of demand for them. Of course, there are some rarities in the set, like Honus Wagner and Eddie Plank. WIth the cards you mention, the value depends very heavily on condition. A T206 Ty Cobb/bat on shoulder could be worth anywhere from many thousands of dollars to $100 depending on condition. If it were me, I would send the Hall of Famers in to get graded and wait on the commons. There are a few routes for selling. If you want to put the time in, ebay can be good, but since you are not known in the hobby, some people may be hesitant to bid. It could be worth consigning them to a reputable seller. Another way to do it, which is far less time consuming is to consign them to an auction house. Barry Sloate, who is a regular contributor to this forum, hold regular auctions that are well-known by all vintage baseball card collectors and you can be sure he would treat you fairly and honestly.
Good luck,
Jim

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

1st Jay, welcome.


Next, forget about the idea that they're in good shape for being 100 years old. I've had T206s that were as nice as what you'd get out of a new pack of cards. Lots of the old cards are worn, some are amazingly pristine.


Good luck with them. You might think about adding a few cards to the group, as years go by, and then passing them on to a child or grandchild.

Frank.

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Posted By: Jay

Wow, thanks guys. All of your info is very helpful and informative. Unfortuantely, I can't scan them (printer issues), but I will take a picture of them and post them here. Let me know what you guys think!!!1 Thanks alot

jay

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Posted By: T206Collector

First, download and read this article about T206 cards:

http://www.t206museum.com/shop/InsideT2063d.pdf

Then, the most reliable price guide for graded T206 cards is here:

http://www.vintagecardprices.com/index.php

Once you have a basic understanding of what these cards are and what they are worth, you will be good to start making decisions about what to do with yours.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing some scans.

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Posted By: Jay

I only got off 2 pics and then battery went dead. One is of the ones I've had the highest value in Beckett. Cobb, 2 Cy Youngs, Matthewson, Chance, Chase, McGRaw (T205), Johnson, Speaker, Burns. The other pic is the only way I could get no flash and it still decent quality, It is Cobb off shoulder. It is perfectly centered and the color is brilliant. The only issue is there's a small discoloring on the right side of the front and back. It's light brown I guess. The back is Piedmont. Will try more pics once battery charges. Thanks guys!!!





hope that works....1st time

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Posted By: Dave F

Jay-

Its real hard to tell from pics...and believe me, when you sell these you'd need a scanner...$100 scanner would pay for itself quickly. From what I can tell on the Cobb though, looks like a possible SGC 40 or PSA 3....so pretty nice value to that one alone. Look forward to more pics.

Dave

by the way...would be interested in seeing a closer pic of the t205 mathewson...

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Posted By: barrysloate

Hi Jay- first, welcome. You came to a good place.

Based on your photos, you should definitely get them graded. I wouldn't worry about sending them in the mail. Use registered mail and have the grading service do the same, and they will be 100% safe. Good luck.

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Posted By: Danny Grimes

Very nice stuff you have there, and valuable!!

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Posted By: JimB

You have some very nice mid-grade cards. They look to be in the vg to ex range. If there are no creases on that T205 Mathewson, it might be your most valuable card. It looks very nice. If SGC or PSA graded it in ex condition or higher, it would be worth a couple thousand dollars or so.
Good luck.
JimB

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Posted By: Jay

Flash ruins the picture...have to take them in the morning...sorry, but I will definetly do it then. Thanks again fellas.

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Posted By: Joe Drouillard

Hello Jay,

Nice collection. A lot depends on how badly you need the money. If you need the money, grading the Hall-of-Famers before selling is definately the way to go. But if you start paying fees to have the cards graded you will probably start selling them to recoop grading fees. Soon you will have the money, but the collection that your father-in-law gave you will be gone.

If you don't need the money, why don't you consider keeping them as they are for a bit. Visit our site and read the posts on t-cards and learn about them over time. Check out other sites that tell about the history of the old players. You may find that you will fall in love with a great hobby. You already have the foundation of a great collection and you may find that you would like to add to your collection instead of selling it off. In any case, the cards that you own are not going to go down in value.

What ever you decide best of luck and thanks for sharing your collection with us.

Best wishes,

Joe

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Posted By: Jay

Thanks for the insight Joe. I hope no one got the impression that I want fast cash or anything. Money is no issue and I certainly don't want to sell these cards just for the sake of selling them. I personally collected football cards when I was youger....until I got pissed off that a 1955 Frank Gifford or 1981 Montana was worth less than the inserts of young unestablished players were worth. So I respect the art of collecting older cards....I was just under the impression that grading was the new thing to do and I wanted to get as much information on it as possible before deciding. The guys on this forum, including yourself, have been nothing but helpful and supportive and I'm glad I joined up. Like I said, tomorrow morning I'll have better pictures up. Thanks everybody.

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Posted By: Jimmy

Jay,

Welcome and good luck with your collection - even in low grade these are worth some money - sorry to say but you may want to take them out of the screw down holders and just use new top loaders with one soft sleeve. The screw downs put too much pressure on the cards or at least make the screws a bit loose. Using eBay is a good resource or oldcardboard.com and vintagecardprices.com

Jimmy

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Posted By: Anonymous

Finally got my scanner to work. When zoomed in they look kinda grainy, but in person they're much clearer (my opinion). So what do you guys think??

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Posted By: Anonymous

More pics

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Posted By: Anonymous

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Posted By: Anonymous

Last one I scanned

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Posted By: Matt

Great Cards!! Send them in to SGC; whether you're going to sell them or keep them, you'll be happy that you did.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Thanks Matt!!

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Posted By: JimB

Great cards. Most will come back in the GD 2 to VG 3 range on a ten point scale. The T205 Matty should come back as a 4 or 5. If you are not planning to sell them, there is no particular need to get them graded, except that when graded they will be protected, they often display nicely (particularly in SGC holders), and you will have a better sense of their monetary value should you decide to sell.
Enjoy,
JimB

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Posted By: Anonymous

Thanks Jim. From everyone's responses it seems like getting them graded is the way to go when and if I ever want to sell. As for now I'll just enjoy them and perhaps even build on this great collection I was given. I've added this site to My Favorites, so I'll be around now. Thanks again everybody.

jay