Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[GeoPoto]

Bonus Post: It turns out I have a Ganley T206 card that I would not trade for the T/R Ganley T206 card. But the card of mine that I think is better than the T/R Ganley is a Piedmont 350 not Piedmont 150 like the T/R card. Still, I thought it was interesting enough that I decided to post the cards. The first card below is my Ganley Piedmont 150 that lost out in the previous post. The second card below is the H/R Ganley Piedmont 150 that won out in the previous post. And the third card below is my Ganley Piedmont 350 that I think is best of all. I won't document a rigorous comparison, but the bottom line is I like this third Ganley card (the Piedmont 350) better than the H/R Ganley card (which is a Piedmont 150).

Two things stand out in my mind about these cards. First is how much nicer my (PSA graded 3) 350 presents compared to my (PSA graded 4) 150. And two is how little trimming it would take to alter my PSA 3 350 to make it look as "good" as the H/R PSA 7 150. Puts me back to wondering about the H/R card.

[Leon]

Personally, you collect the way I do too. I would take your card on every occasion in the postings.

Great job!
.
.

[GeoPoto]

(Scoreboard so far: My Cards 8, H/R cards 1, with 1 tie.)

Card 11: William D. "Dolly" Gray. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1909-1911. 15 wins in 3 MLB seasons. Holds MLB record for walks allowed in an inning (8) and for consecutive walks allowed (7). In 1911, he threw the first pitch in Griffith Stadium and got the win over Smoky Joe Wood. Surprisingly, before joining the Senators in 1909 at the age of 30, he had enough success in the minors that he is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Dolly Gray Sweet Caporal 350-30: Gray T206 cards are common (PSA-509). PSA has graded three Gray T206 cards at PSA 8, none higher. The Gray T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The H/R card is graded PSA 8. It presents a beautiful, clear image. It has sharp edges and corners. The back is okay with moderate fading. Having said all that, this is a very odd card. Having graded this card a PSA 8, presumably PSA convinced itself that this top border appears just as it did when it left the factory. Seems strange to me. I think I understand how some T206 come with top and bottom edges that have been "factory cut" with a "slant", meaning the cut lines, though parallel themselves, are not parallel to the edges of the card's image. I assume this results from the sheet being out of alignment during the cut. This card violates two rules about opposing cut lines that I would have expected: that they would be parallel to each other, and that they would be straight. The top edge of this card violates both rules. The top edge is not parallel with the bottom edge, and it appears to "change direction" during the cut, soaring up to the right. On top of that, the card is centered low, left. Also, while the top-to-bottom borders may be plausible despite the odd cut, the left-to-right borders are tight.

My Entry: Here we have a very humble card that was given a grade of PSA 2. It shows moderate wear to the surface, the edges, and the corners. The surface has several small blemishes. The card is centered well, though slightly to the left. The borders are good. The back is centered high with moderate fading and staining.

Comparison: The bizarre top edge and the lousy centering put me off the H/R card entirely. The wear shown by my card does not ruin its appearance, at least to my eye. The surface blemishes are a negative. I like a lot about my card though and would be reluctant to upgrade it to any card that was not at least as endowed with strong centering and wide borders.

My conclusion: There is no case I can make for the H/R card. Even if someone explained how an individual card could come from the factory with a cut like that, the centering is poor enough that I would prefer my card. My card is well used and a candidate for further upgrade, but, until then, it stands tall, and I am proud of it.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card looks freakish to me. My card, on the other hand, looks nice, although a little tired and weary. Okay, very tired and weary, but also very plausible.

Additional Dolly Gray Fun Fact: Despite a career record of 15-51, he pitched 46 complete games.

[GeoPoto]

Card 12: Clark C. "The Old Fox" Griffith. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1912-1914. Debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1891. 237 wins and 8 saves in 20 MLB seasons. Was 1898 MLB ERA leader. Managed the Chicago White Stockings (1901-1902), the New York Highlanders (1903-1908), the Cincinnati Reds (1909-1911), and the Washington Senators (1912-1920). Was principal owner of the Washington Senators from 1920 until his death in 1955. In 1946, was inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame.

Clark Griffith Batting Sweet Caporal 460-42OP: Griffith Batting T206 cards are common (PSA-823). His presence in the Hall of Fame is reflected in the high number of cards graded. PSA has graded eighteen Griffith Batting T206 cards at PSA 7, seven at PSA 8, and one at PSA 9. The Griffith Batting T206 card is in Print Group 3.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Here we have a PSA 7. Not the sharpest of PSA 7s, but decent surface, edges, and corners. The centering is excellent for my tastes, some might say a bit high. The borders are tight. The back is excellent, well centered with good color, showing only minor fading.

My Entry: My card was graded SGC 5. It shows moderate wear throughout, particularly the surface of the borders, which shows a variety of dings and staining. The card is centered well, perhaps a little high, but the borders are tight. The back is nice, well-centered with moderate fading.

Comparison: The H/R card presents a much cleaner surface than my card does and has stronger edges and borders. Both cards are well centered with tight borders. The H/R card has the nicer back but both work.

My conclusion: I like the H/R card better than mine. Not by a lot, but it presents nicer. My overall concern would be the borders, but that would apply equally to both cards.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card presents better. I would stay on the prowl, however, looking for a card with better (bigger) borders.

Additional Clark Griffith Fun Fact: He has the second-most ties by a manager in MLB history, with 59. Only Connie Mack has more (76) and he managed 4,838 more games than Griffith did.

[Vintage Vern]

Originally Posted by Leon

Personally, you collect the way I do too. I would take your card on every occasion in the postings.

Great job!
.
.

Leon, can you elaborate on your take? Some I would agree on others not so much. Is it price points or? Are you saying you'd take every card the OP has over the AH cards? I'm just trying to learn how's, and why's. Is it what some view as important vs other factors. So if someone wants sharp corners, bold colors, and isn't worried about price they would have a different take?

[GeoPoto]

Card 13: Clark C. "The Old Fox" Griffith. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1912-1914. Debuted with the St. Louis Browns in 1891. 237 wins and 8 saves in 20 MLB seasons. Was 1898 MLB ERA leader. Managed the Chicago White Stockings (1901-1902), the New York Highlanders (1903-1908), the Cincinnati Reds (1909-1911), and the Washington Senators (1912-1920). Was principal owner of the Washington Senators from 1920 until his death in 1955. In 1946, was inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame.

Clark Griffith Portrait Piedmont 150: Griffith Portrait T206 cards are common (PSA-921). His presence in the Hall of Fame is reflected in the high number of cards graded. PSA has graded fifteen Griffith Portrait T206 cards at PSA 8 and one at PSA 9. The Griffith Portrait T206 card is in Print Group 1.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: This PSA 8 presents a beautiful image with minimal surface, edge, and corner wear. While arguably very well centered, it is centered low to my eye, cramping the name and team designation badly. Which gets us to this card's weakness -- the borders are tight, particularly top-to-bottom. The back is fine, centered a little right with good color, with only minor fading.

My Entry: Graded PSA3, my card presents a very nice image with modest surface, edge, and corner wear. The card is well centered to my eye, perhaps a little high. The borders are substantial. The back is bright, with very minor fading.

Comparison: My card presents very well compared to the H/R card despite somewhat more heavily worn surface, edges, and corners. Both cards are well centered -- I like my card's centering better; some might prefer the H/R card. The borders of my card are superior, particularly top-to-bottom. The backs compare favorably, with my card getting the edge.

My conclusion: I like my card better. The borders on my card are much nicer. The H/R card has a tight, cramped bottom border, which is quite off-putting to my eye. Both cards present clean, clear images and the greater wear evidenced by my card, though significant, does not offset the smaller bottom border of the H/R card.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card is done in by its cramped bottom border.

Additional Clark Griffith Fun Fact: It was he who persuaded Secretary of War Baker to allow ballplayers to perform military drills on the field with bats rather than rifles, allowing the 1917 season to go on through Labor Day.

[GeoPoto]

Card 14: Robert "Bob" Groom. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1909-1913. 119 wins and 13 saves in 10 MLB seasons. For the St. Louis Browns in 1917, he pitched a no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader after pitching 2 innings of no-hit relief in the first game. With Koob, only teammates to pitch no-hitters on consecutive days. His best season was 1912 as he went 24-13 with a 2.62 ERA and Washington finished second in the American League. In 1909, his 7-26 record included 15 consecutive losses, during which his 42-110 Senator teammates mustered a total of 19 runs. Walter Johnson's record that year was 12-25.

Bob Groom Piedmont 350: Groom T206 cards are fairly common (PSA-526). PSA has graded eight Groom T206 cards PSA 8, with none higher. The Groom T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The PSA 8 H/R card is beautiful: clean crisp image, with a clean surface backed up by sharp edges and corners. The centering looks perfect. The borders are plausible. The back is ordinary, well centered but moderately faded.

My Entry: My card is graded PSA 4 and delivers decent edges and corners. The surface shows moderate wear and staining. It is centered a little left, with very respectable borders, all in all. The registration is not perfect as with so many of these cards. The back is centered okay, but betrays moderate fading, staining, and toning.

Comparison: It is hard to criticize the H/R card. Its borders look plausible, even when compared to my card. The H/R card presents better with a cleaner image. The H/R card has stronger edges and borders. The backs compare favorably, with a slight edge to the H/R card.

My conclusion: The H/R card is a nice card. I could go either way here. Despite all the superior features of the H/R card, I struggle with the way it looks. I trust my card more. But the H/R card is a beauty and comes very close to my card's borders.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I could trade my card for the H/R card. I doubt I would, but it's hard to argue against it.

Additional Bob Groom Fun Fact: During the 1909 15-game losing streak mentioned above, he also pitched two tie games, including the record-setting 18-inning 0-0 tie against the Cobb-led Tigers when Bob relieved injured starter Dolly Gray. In 9⅔ innings of shutout ball, he continually frustrated both Ty Cobb and Wahoo Sam Crawford and was so impressive that even the Detroit fans cheered for him.

[GeoPoto]

Card 15: Walter P. "Barney" Johnson. "The Big Train". Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1907-1927. 417 wins and 34 saves in 21 MLB seasons. 1924 World Series champion. 1913 and 1924 AL Most Valuable Player. 3-time triple crown. 6-time AL wins leader. 5-time AL ERA leader. 12-time AL strikeout leader. He had a career ERA of 2.17 in 5,914.1 innings pitched. He pitched a no-hitter in 1920. He holds the MLB record with 110 career shutouts. MLB All-Time Team. Inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1936. One of his best seasons was 1913 as he posted a record of 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA in 346 innings pitched.

Walter Johnson Hands-at-Chest Piedmont 350: Johnson Hands-at-Chest T206 cards are plentiful (PSA-1141). His status among the game's greatest pitchers is reflected in the high number of cards graded. PSA has graded seventeen Johnson Hands-at-Chest T206 cards at PSA 7, fourteen at PSA 8, and three at PSA 9. The Johnson Hands-at-Chest T206 card is in Print Group 3.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The H/R Johnson Hands-at-Chest is graded PSA 7. The image is clear with no surface blemishes and strong edges and corners. The centering is a little left. Which brings us to the borders. The card is slant cut. The borders are tight. The back is well centered and moderately faded.

My Entry: My card is a PSA 4. It shows moderate wear to the edges and corners and visible surface wear includes several surface blemishes. It is about perfectly centered, and the borders are good. The back is centered left and presents poorly, with moderate fading, toning, and surface wear.

Comparison: The H/R card presents cleaner surfaces and much stronger edges and corners. My card has better centering, stronger borders, and doesn't suffer from a slant cut. The borders on the H/R card do not inspire confidence. The H/R back is clearly superior to my back.

My conclusion: I like my card better. The borders on my card are larger. I do not like the slant cut. My card doesn't toe nearly the technical line that the H/R card does, but I'll live with that to get the better centering and the enhanced confidence provided by the better borders.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card presents very well except for the slant cut, the centering, and the borders. Nuff said.

Additional Walter Johnson Fun Fact: He pitched 531 complete games in 666 career starts.

[GeoPoto]

Card 16: Walter P. "Barney" Johnson. "The Big Train". Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1907-1927. 417 wins and 34 saves in 21 MLB seasons. 1924 World Series champion. 1913 and 1924 AL Most Valuable Player. 3-time triple crown. 6-time AL wins leader. 5-time AL ERA leader. 12-time AL strikeout leader. He had a career ERA of 2.17 in 5,914.1 innings pitched. He pitched a no-hitter in 1920. He holds the MLB record with 110 career shutouts. MLB All-Time Team. Inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1936. One of his best seasons was 1913 as he posted a record of 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA in 346 innings pitched.

Walter Johnson Portrait Piedmont 350: Johnson Portrait T206 cards are also plentiful (PSA-1286). His status among the game's greatest pitchers is reflected in the high number of cards graded. PSA has graded eleven Johnson Portrait T206 cards at PSA 7, eight at PSA 8, and six at PSA 9. The Johnson Portrait T206 card is in Print Group 1.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Graded PSA 7, the H/R card presents a clear, clean image. It also delivers edges and corners with minimal wear. The centering is virtually perfect, but the borders are tight. The back is centered with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card is graded PSA 2. It shows moderate wear to the surface, edges, and corners but still presents very well. It is centered a hair right and maybe a little low. The borders are good. The card may have a hint of a slant cut. The back is centered well with good color despite moderate toning and surface wear.

Comparison: The H/R card presents beautifully. But my card stands up reasonably well in comparison. Surface blemishes on my card, particularly around Walter's face, are not helpful. But my card has better (bigger) borders. The H/R back is slightly ahead of mine.

My conclusion: I like my card better. The H/R card is technically superior to my card in every way except borders. But there's the rub: I can't see "upgrading" to a card with tighter borders that are quick to surface anxieties regarding alteration.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I really like the borders.

Additional Walter Johnson Fun Fact: He holds the major-league records for number of 1-0 wins (38) and losses (26).

Results so far: My Cards -- 12; H/R Cards -- 2; and 2 ties. 12-2-2.

(Pause until Monday.)