Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[bnorth]

I agree that your card is much nicer that the other. One thing I have noticed on high grade T206 sets/groups is that there are so many very obvious altered and extremely over graded stuff even Stevie Wonder would cringe when facing them. Collect what you like as there is really no reason to compare with others unless you are going all in on the PSA registry.

[stutor]

This is a well constructed, thought provoking thread.

I collect t206, and I would say that my preferences in card condition closely resemble yours. My set focuses on back rarity for the most part, but I have some higher graded cards sprinkled in. Inevitably, as I scroll through my cards, I find myself quickly passing by many of the higher graded cards that have centering issues, etc. That is to say that I enjoy the cards with great centering and full borders much more than those with sharper corners and 70/30 (or worse) centering. I have even ‘downgraded’ cards occasionally as you do. Perhaps I should consider doing that more often.

Can’t wait to see the rest of your cards. BTW, I like your Browne better than the other example.

[GeoPoto]

Card 2: William T. "Bill" Burns. "Sleepy Bill". Pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1908-1909. 30 wins and 2 saves in 5 MLB seasons. His career ERA was 2.72 in 717.2 innings pitched for 5 different MLB teams, ending in 1912 with the Detroit Tigers. He twice lost no-hitters with two outs in the ninth. He was key go-between in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.

Bill Burns Piedmont 350: Bill Burns cards are common (PSA-580). PSA has graded seven Burns T206 cards as PSA 7s with one 7.5, four 8s and a 9. Burns is in Print Group 2. One of the features of this card that has always fascinated me, is that the image shows Burns awkwardly brandishing what appears to be a glove for his left hand but wearing it on his right hand!?

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Graded 7 by PSA this card also sports the sharp corners and edges you would expect for the grade. It also presents a good image with an unblemished surface. However, to my eye, the registration is off a tick. The back is okay with moderate fading. This card is centered significantly left but is well-centered top to bottom. With the exception of the left border, the borders are good. Unfortunately, it appears that the left border is missing half of itself.

My Entry: Graded 6 by PSA this card presents well. The edges and corners are sound, and the image is clear with a few minor surface scuffs. The centering is slightly left, but good overall. The borders are strong. The back is clean with vibrant color, marred only by minor staining.

Comparison: The H/R card is a clean, nice image with no blemishes and sharp edges and corners. My card has a nice image but does show some surface wear. The H/R back is okay, but my back has more vibrant color, which is offset by mild staining. The H/R card is not well centered and while my card is also centered left, my card's centering is much better. The top-and-bottom borders are similarly good on both cards. However, my card has a clear advantage side-to-side as the right borders are similar and my card has a larger left border.

My conclusion: I like my card. While the H/R card has cleaner surfaces, the blemishes on my card are minor and the underlying image is sharper than the H/R card. I think the clearer image would make my card slightly preferred even if it wasn't significantly better centered and didn't have stronger borders. But it is and does. Seems like a clear tilt in favor of my card.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I think my card is better.

Additional Bill Burns Fun Fact: Twice in May of 1911, Reds manager Clark Griffith wanted to put Burns into a game as a relief pitcher, only to find that Burns was not warming up as instructed but was asleep on the clubhouse bench.

[GeoPoto]

Card 3: William E. "Wid" Conroy. Utility player for the Washington Senators in 1909-1911. 1,257 hits, 22 home runs, and 262 stolen bases in 11 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901. He had at least 384 plate appearances in each of his 11 MLB seasons. He was the first-string SS on the NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1902. He moved to 3B in 1903 with the New York Highlanders, twice leading AL third basemen in total chances per game. He was an opening day starter for the Highlanders for the first five years of the team's existence. In 1907 he swiped 41 bases second only to Ty Cobb. He finished his career with Washington and in one of his last games set an AL record with 13 total chances at 3B.

Wid Conroy Fielding Piedmont 150: Conroy Fielding is one of two Conroy T206 cards. Conroy Fielding appears to be slightly less common (PSA-430). The other Conroy card is Conroy with Bat (PSA-462). PSA has graded five Conroy Fielding T206 cards PSA 8 (none higher). Conroy Fielding is in Print Group 1.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Graded 8, this card shows extremely well with good image quality; the corners, edges, and surface are all sharp. It is very well centered, straying only very slightly right. (For my taste, it is also slightly low, which crowds the name and team designation only slightly.) The back is clean with only moderate fading. The borders are fair all the way around giving rise to very good centering.

My Entry: This card is graded 3.5 by PSA. The image is clear, but the surface (particularly the borders) shows evidence of dirt and age. The edges show evidence of handling and the corners are moderately rounded. The centering is low, but not terrible overall. The back is okay with moderate fading and its surface also shows signs of grime and age. The appeal of this card lies in its borders, which are ample, particularly top and bottom. The bottom border is highly acceptable while the top border is very wide.

Comparison: The H/R card is an extremely nice card with no blemishes and sharp edges and corners. My card has substantial subtle surface imperfections. The H/R card shows better centering than my card, which is over-endowed at the top border. Both backs are okay, but the H/R back is cleaner and presents better than mine does.

My conclusion: I like my card but have to concede the H/R card is better to look at and I believe there is considerable room to replace my card with a better one. The H/R card has cleaner surfaces, sharper edges and corners, and is almost perfectly centered. My card is centered low with an abundant top border. But abundant borders is a good thing because it supports confidence that the card has not been altered. My card clearly has more border than the H/R card does. As I see it, the two cards have comparable left and bottom borders, but my card has a slightly larger right border and a much larger top border.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I like my card better, and while I look forward to finding a better version of my card, I don't think the H/R card is the one I want. I would constantly worry that the near-perfect centering of the H/R card was achieved by alteration. Not worth the doubt.

Additional Wid Conroy Fun Fact: In 1902 he became Pittsburgh's starting shortstop, replacing Honus Wagner, who moved to the outfield.

[GeoPoto]

Card 4: William E. "Wid" Conroy. Utility player for the Washington Senators in 1909-1911. 1,257 hits, 22 home runs, and 262 stolen bases in 11 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901. He had at least 384 plate appearances in each of his 11 MLB seasons. He was the first-string SS on the NL champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1902. He moved to 3B in 1903 with the New York Highlanders, twice leading AL third basemen in total chances per game. He was an opening day starter for the Highlanders for the first five years of the team's existence. In 1907 he swiped 41 bases second only to Ty Cobb. He finished his career with Washington and in one of his last games set an AL record with 13 total chances at 3B.

Wid Conroy with Bat Sweet Caporal 350 Factory 30: Conroy with Bat is the second of the two Conroy T206 cards and is fairly common (PSA-578). PSA has graded fourteen Conroy with Bat T206 cards PSA 7, one 7.5, and another seven PSA 8. Conroy with Bat is in Print Group 3.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Graded 7 by PSA, this card has sharp corners and edges and a good clear image. The back is okay with moderate fading. This card is centered a little left but is well-centered top to bottom. Overall, the borders are fair, although the left border is worrisome.

My Entry: Graded 5 by PSA this card presents very well. The edges and corners are sound, and the image is clear, and the surface appears unblemished. The centering is very close to perfect. The borders are fair. The back is clean with vibrant color, showing minimal fading.

Comparison: These two cards present very similarly, both with a clear, crisp image. My card shows corners with just a hint of softness/rounding, which supports its lower grade compared to the H/R card. Neither card has any obvious surface wear or blemishes. My card has better centering and stronger borders than the H/R does. Both backs are clean, with the edge going to my card's better coloring which is less significantly less faded.

My conclusion: I like my card. Both cards present very well, but my card has better centering and stronger borders (left and top), which more than offsets the extent to which the H/R card has slightly sharper corners. My card's back is also better. The tight left border on the H/R card is the difference maker here.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I like my card better. The somewhat smaller borders on the H/R card would be a constant reminder that the card may have been altered. While alteration can't be ruled out regarding my card, the stronger borders provide some reassurance compared to the H/R card.

Additional Wid Conroy Fun Fact: Connie Mack signed him to play the 1900 season for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League. The following year, the league attained major league status and Mack moved to Philadelphia.

[T206Collector]

“ hard to look at, with its vanishing top border “

Some collect flips. You collect cards. And your cards present way better than the tiny cards with sharp corners.

I applaud the discipline necessary to collect only graded cards, but to focus on the quality of the cardboard instead of the number on the flip.

[GeoPoto]

Card 5: Clifford C. "Gavy" Cravath. "Cactus". Right fielder with the Washington Senators in 1909. 1,134 hits and 119 home runs in 11 MLB seasons, mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies. He had a career OBP of .380 and was one of the most prolific power hitters of the dead-ball era. He led the NL in home runs six times and RBIs twice. He first played 5 seasons in the Pacific Coast League and picked up his nickname by hitting a ball that killed a seagull ("Gaviota" in Spanish) in flight. His MLB debut came in 1908 with the Boston Red Sox. The Senators moved him to Minneapolis after just four games in 1909 and he didn't return to MLB until 1912, when at age 31 he began 9 seasons with Philadelphia. One of his better seasons came in 1913 as he posted a .407 OBP with 19 home runs and 128 RBIs in 594 plate appearances.

Gavy Cravath Piedmont 350: Cravath T206 cards are common (PSA-538). PSA has graded twelve Cravath T206 cards at the PSA 7 level, one at PSA 7.5, and five at PSA 8. Cravath is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Here we have another card graded 7 by PSA with sharp corners and edges and a good clear image. The image is good with minor issues regarding registration and surface wear. The back is clean with moderate fading. This card is centered almost perfectly to my eye, perhaps slightly high and slightly right. Some might say it is centered more than slightly high, but I like the fatter bottom border, which provides ample room for the name and team designation. Overall, the top-to-bottom borders are good; side borders are a little tight, especially the right.

My Entry: Graded 5 by PSA this card presents well. The edges, corners, and surface all show moderate wear, but the image is clear. The centering is also very close to perfect, only slightly high and right. The borders are fair. The back is okay, showing moderate staining and fading.

Comparison: These two cards present very similarly, both with a nice image. The H/R card has crisper edges, corners, and surfaces, but also has a minor registration issue. Both cards have comparable top-to-bottom borders, but my card has a clear advantage with wider side-to-side borders.

My conclusion: I like my card. The H/R card delivers a lot of advantages for the higher grade -- corners, edges, and surfaces are all noticeably superior to those of my card. Both cards present very well. Again, the difference-maker is the borders. Could my card be improved? Probably, but certainly not by replacing it with the H/R card.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I like my card better. The issue for me is again borders: my card has better/bigger side borders, which reduces concern regarding the probability of alteration. For me, the enhanced peace of mind provided by the wider borders outweighs my card's technical disadvantages, which, while significant, do not ruin the appearance of the card.

Additional Gavvy Cravath Fun Fact: In 1898 Cravath and his fellow Escondido footballers lost the first-ever high-school gridiron match-up in the history of San Diego County, 6-0, to San Diego High School.