What's your best tobacco-card find?

[Exhibitman]

First find: I was invited into a transaction in progress with the nephew of a homeowner who found a box of vintage tobacco cards in her attic. The cards included in the find broke down into two categories, baseball and boxing. The group included two T202s, six T205s, five T207s, approximately 40 T219s, and ten T227s. The most interesting thing I realized on viewing the lot was that the smoker in the house was an Honest Long Cut loyalist. All of the T219s and T227s were Honest Long Cut branded, as were 5 of the 6 T205s. The sole other T205 was a Sovereign. One of the T207s was a Recruit, one a Napoleon, and three were Broad Leaf backs (how I wish that the smoker had been loyal to that brand!). The three Broad Leaf cards included Alex McCarthy, Phelan and Otto Miller (Brooklyn), while the Napoleon was Golden and the Recruit was Germany Schaefer. The T205s included Ed Walsh (2 cards), Wiltse right ear showing variation, Moriarty, Tinker (the Sovereign back), and Ford (dark cap). From T227 we found one baseball player, Rube Marquard, three boxers (Johnson, Attell and Coulon), wrestler Zybsko and a few of the miscellaneous sports and pseudosports subjects.

Second find: I got a contact through my web site from someone who had a boatload of T boxing cards. Turned out to be a near set of T220 Tolstoi and several T218 Tolstoi cards.

Final find: At a local show a few years ago a guy had an album of T cards that included a bunch of T218 Tolstois.

[abothebear]

I picked up a beater Buck Herzog Old Mill T206 off of ebay for $5. When I received it in the mail and gave it a closer look I discovered that is was the ultra rare Large Ass variation. I have yet to find another like it. It was my first T206. Beginners luck, I guess.

[teetwoohsix]

My best find was here locally, I went into a card shop that I hadn't been in for maybe a couple of years. I asked the guy if they had any tobacco cards, and he showed me a stack in the display case. I was suprised they had a few, and excited to look at them(the last time I was in there they didn't have any). As I looked through them, I was even more suprised to find that they had some with EPDG, Sovereign, and Tolstoi backs-but the biggest suprise was turning over this Nicholls card !!

The owner of the shop is a very nice guy- I didn't go in there prepared to buy anything, I was just in the area and dropped in. I asked him if he'd hold them and I'd be back to pick them up. He did hold them, and was even cool enough to give me a discount on the three I bought. Not as exciting as most stories, but it was a great thrill for me

Sincerely, Clayton

[cfc1909]

there was a dealer in Texas who thought he could corner the market on t206s. He eventually realized he could not do this and listed all the cards on his website.

I picked this out of his inventory with no mention of the back and it was raw when I bought it

not sure if its my best find but it is up there with the best

[cfc1909]

got this one out of a card show at Arundel Mills Mall. Dealer had no idea what he had

[teetwoohsix]

Wow Jim !!!!!!! Great cards !!! Thanks for posting those.

Great stories everyone, this is a fun thread. Jantz, congrats on the Murr'y, and I hope you score that collection !!!

Sincerely, Clayton

[Exhibitman]

The print freaks shown here as finds are making me smile. I have been collecting print flaws/freaks/scraps for years. It is really ironic that some of my best T card 'finds' were considered such crap when I found them that more than one fellow collector told me I was wasting my time buying them. Even the dealers. When I bought these cards the dealer gave me one of those sad head shakes reserved for stupid customers who are wasting their money:

[cfc1909]

I know Adam, remember no one wanted them. Everyone wanted a crease free perfect centered card. All the freaks were considered trash. Funny how times change.

I got that upside down back probably around 2002 and it was in a very large inventory and like I said no mention of the back. Crazy


thanks Clayton.

[Runscott]

Years ago, I found lots of great T206's in common piles, but since returning to the hobby, this has been my favorite. The shifted colors, etc, are cool, but this one's actually kind of artistic:

[npa589]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Years ago, I found lots of great T206's in common piles, but since returning to the hobby, this has been my favorite. The shifted colors, etc, are cool, but this one's actually kind of artistic:

Nice Scott! When I first saw your Wiltse, I heard circus music in the background...(Entry of the Gladiators by Fucik). Definitely a creepy ghost!