Where to start on T206 collection?

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Are you going for a Brooklyn master back list?

[polakoff]

That's the plan, eventually. I'm 27 so I figure I've got some time to make it happen.

But that's kind of what I'm looking for feedback on - I recognize how difficult that will be and is likely a lifelong project, so for those who have been collecting the monster, do you find it more satisfying to complete a player along the way? To try and complete one back and then move on? To get one of each player first regardless of back? (That's where I'm leaning)

[Jantz]

If Brooklyn is your pick, then if it were me, I would begin with a nice Dahlen. Knock the hardest one out first.

Then again what the hell do I know. I'm building a basic T206 set and a back specific T206 set at the same time.


Jantz

[Luke]

If you're going for a master back run, I think you just want to always be looking, and always have the funds available to be able to quickly go after it when a scarce back comes along. My approach with t206 has always been: there are so many cards I need, that I don't need to search for any one card in particular, and I don't need to overpay for any one card. You will have to make strong offers for the rare backs when they hit the market, but I wouldn't go out of your way looking for the common backs. Over time, you'll get them all via ebay auctions at prices you're happy with. No need to overpay for them right now. I agree with Jantz that getting a nice Dahlen would be a pretty cool way to start, especially if you can get a tougher back like a Sovereign. Good luck!

[egbeachley]

Go slowly so you don't overextend your budget and never use the buy-it-now feature on Ebay or you will drastically overpay. Also, take your time and buy cards you like. There is no need to rush since this is one of the easiest sets to complete. Even the tough cards (Wagner, Plank, Doyle) are available at least once a year. This strategy assumes you aren't collecting by backs.

[the 'stache]

Selecting the Superbas to begin your assault on the Monster is an inspired choice, polakoff. Chapeau.

You'd asked for some checklists and spreadsheets. Here's where you want to go:

Brooklyn Superbas team checklist

That will give you every card within the team set, including the various poses that exist for players with multiple cards. If you want all the different checklists and spreadsheets, you want to go here:

Full T206 checklist & spreadsheet list set

In the lower right part of that page you will see spreadsheets that will help you find all the back combinations available.

One quick note about the first list I gave you. If a player has multiple cards, like Tim Jordan, who has a portrait card as well as a card of him batting, both will be included so long as the player spent the entire season with Brooklyn. In the case of Bill Dahlen, you will only see one of his portrait cards. Dahlen has another portrait card, the second depicting him as a member of the Boston Doves.

One strategy that you are likely already aware of (but I don't want to make any assumptions as less experienced collectors might also read this) is buying the most expensive cards first. The only Hall of Famer on the Brooklyn team as of right now is Zack Wheat. If you're looking to get all the Superba players, a Hall of Famer is most likely to go up in price, where the commons go up more slowly. So, you might buy the Wheat now, and then go back to buying the commons, or chase back runs, etc. If you hold off on the Wheat, you might end up paying more for it than you would have buying it right away.

One other player to keep in mind is the aforementioned Bill Dahlen. I think there's a very good chance that he's a member of the Hall of Fame starting in 2015. Here's an article which does a really nice job of explaining why:

John Tuberty's Baseball Blog-Bill Dahlen: Pre-Integration Era Veterans Committee Hall of Fame Candidate

The 16 member Pre-Integration Era Veterans Committee votes again in 2015. Each member can vote for up to four of the players nominated. For a player to be elected then to Cooperstown, they need to get 75% of the ballot, at least twelve votes. Last time, Dahlen got ten. I would be surprised if he doesn't get in this next time. If you look at the Sabermetric comparison of Dahlen to the other Hall of Fame shortstops of his era (Bobby Wallace, Honus Wagner, Hughie Jennings, and George Davis), he compares quite favorably. Dahlen's WAR of 70.9 is comparable to Bobby Wallace's 71.6, George Davis' 79.8, and Hughie Jennings' 39.7. The Flying Dutchman, again, is a different story altogether. Wagner had a WAR of 126.1. Only Bobby Wallace bests Bill Dahlen's dWAR score of 28.5, and that's only by 0.02.

Comparing Dahlen, too, to the other shortstops via standard metrics (hits, home runs, runs batted in, etc), again, he compares quite favorably. Obviously, Honus Wagner was by far the best shortstop in the first 100 years of baseball, but Dahlen was a pretty special offensive force. He walked over 1,000 times (1,064). Not even Wagner did that (963). Dahlen hit 84 home runs (second to only Wagner among his shortstop peers), and stole 548 bases. Dahlen tallied 2,461 hits, scored 1,590 runs, drove in 1,234 runs.

If you consider that Dahlen is likely going to be elected to the Hall of Fame, his cards will see a spike in demand, and the cost to buy strong copies will go up, too. What I'm doing with my collection is working on the more expensive cards that I really like first. The commons will go up some, too, but Hall of Fame cards, and the really popular non Hall of Famers (like Hal Chase) will always outperform the common cards.



My one Brooklyn Superba T206 card

One last thing to consider are the kinds of cards within the team. Invariably, several of the players within the Brooklyn team set will have action poses, as well as portraits. I happen to prefer portraits in most cases. You could think about buying just portrait cards of the Superbas.

Or, you could work on back runs of Superba portrait cards. The possibilities are limitless.


Good luck with your new collection!

[polakoff]

Thanks so much to everyone!