Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[GeoPoto]

Card 18: J. Clyde "Deerfoot" Milan. Outfielder for the Washington Senators in 1907-1922. 2,100 hits and 495 stolen bases in 16 MLB seasons. 1912 and 1913 AL stolen base leader, including a then record 88 in 1912. His career OBP was .353. Managed the Washington Senators in 1922. His best season was probably 1911 for the Washington Senators as he posted a .395 OBP with 58 stolen bases and 109 runs scored in 705 plate appearances.

Clyde Milan Sweet Caporal 350-25: Milan T206 cards are reasonably common (PSA-490). PSA has graded one Milan T206 card at PSA 7.5 and five at PSA 8. The MilanT206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: PSA graded the H/R card PSA 7.5. The H/R card presents a nice clear image with sharp edges and corners. The surface is clean. The card is centered well, but a little left. The borders are moderately tight, with the upper left border particularly cramped. The back is centered well with good color and only minor fading.

My Entry: Graded PSA 4, my card is showing moderate wear to the edges and corners. The surface shows moderate wear with a few blemishes in the image. The centering is a little high and left. The card is cut on a slight slant. The borders are a little tight, particularly left-to-right. The back is centered with good color and minor fading.

Comparison: The presentation of the H/R card is superior. My card has presentation issues caused by surface blemishes and, to a lesser extent, the slant cut. Both cards are centered well, just a little left. Despite borders that are borderline tight, my card has stronger borders than the H/R card. The backs are roughly comparable with the H/R back slightly more attractive.

My conclusion: I like my card better, but only barely. Again, it comes down primarily to borders. My card is a strong candidate for upgrade. The surface issues are a significant detractor. Even my card's strength in this comparison -- its borders -- are not particularly strong. As usual, I would prefer to keep my card, blemishes and all, until a stronger card comes along.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I'll keep my card, blemishes and all, for now.

Additional Clyde Milan Fun Fact: He was the primary target of Washington's recruiting emissary, Cliff Blankenship, in 1907. As Milan signed for $1,000, Blankenship told him that he was going out to Idaho to look over some young phenom. "It looks like a wild goose chase and probably a waste of train fare to look over that young punk," Blankenship said. The "punk" was Walter Johnson, and he signed for $100 plus train fare.

[GeoPoto]

Card 19: Frank R. "Flossie" Oberlin. Pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1907 and 1909-1910. 5 wins and 227 innings pitched in 4 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Boston Americans in 1906-1907.

Frank Oberlin Sweet Caporal 350-30: Oberlin T206 cards are fairly common (PSA-537). PSA has graded fifteen Oberlin T206 cards at PSA 7 and two at PSA 8. The OberlinT206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Here is another H/R card graded PSA 7 that delivers a clear image, with clean surfaces and strong edges and borders. The card is centered well, maybe a little high. The left-to-right borders, though well centered, are tight. The back is centered well with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card, which is graded PSA 7, presents a good image, with moderate surface wear, decent edges, and modest rounding at the corners. The card is centered high right. Overall, the borders are okay. The back is off center with considerable fading. The back reveals a crease of the upper right corner (looking at the card's front), which is faintly visible.

Comparison: The H/R card presents a better image with a cleaner surface. The two cards compare favorably with respect to edges and corners, with the edge going to the H/R card. The H/R card has better centering, but also tighter borders. The H/R card has the more attractive back by a considerable margin. My card also has a crease.

My conclusion: I like the H/R card better in most ways. The borders are the usual problem: To the extent that my card shows larger borders are possible, why settle for an attractive card with tight borders. I would rather continue to look. My card has serious deficiencies though that I would like to improve.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I could trade my card for the H/R card. I probably wouldn't, but I could live with it. Either way, I would be hoping to upgrade as soon as I can find one with stronger borders.

Additional Frank Oberlin Fun Fact: He lost the index finger on his pitching hand to a buzz saw, but apparently pitched better as a result, once it healed.

Overall Results Update: My Cards -- 14; H/R cards -- 2; with 3 Ties.

[GeoPoto]

Card 20: Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer. Infielder for the Washington Senators in 1909-1914. 972 hits, 9 home runs, and 201 stolen bases in 15 MLB seasons. His "steal" of first base prompted rule making it illegal. Popular as a baseball "trickster" and "on-field clown", often in tandem with Charley O'Leary and, later, with Nick Altrock. Altrock eventually perfected the art with Al Schacht.

Germany Schaefer Sweet Caporal 460-30: Overall, Schaefer T206 cards are reasonably common (PSA -828), but because they are split between Detroit (PSA-417) and Washington (PSA-411), each variant is a little less common than some. PSA has graded five Schaefer Washington T206 cards at PSA 6.5, six at PSA 7, and one at PSA 9. The Schaefer Washington T206 card is in Print Group 4.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The H/R card is graded PSA 6.5. It has the expected clear image with strong edges and corners. The surface is clean, with minor staining on the borders. It is centered left and a little high. The borders are tight. The back is centered a little high with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card is graded PSA 4. It is not the nicest of PSA 4s, showing moderate wear to the surface, edges, and corners. The card is centered low right. The borders are tight. The back is well-centered with good color and minor fading.

Comparison: Neither of these cards present all that well to my eye. The presentation of the H/R card is superior. Both cards are off center with tight borders, particularly side-to-side. My card might have slightly more border, particularly top-to-bottom. The back of my card is superior.

My conclusion: I think I like my card better. The tightness of the upper left corner of the H/R card, catches me every time I look at it. I find my card though rough, easier to look at. I would like to upgrade my card, but not to the H/R card. I'll continue to look.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The borders on the H/R card are too tight for me to choose it, even though my card is no better and needs an upgrade.

Additional Germany Schaefer Fun Fact: On September 13, 1902, he was manning third base for the Chicago Cubs as Tinker, Evers, and Chance played together in their customary spots for the first time.

[GeoPoto]

Card 21: William M. "Bill" Shipke. Third baseman for the Washington Senators in 1907-1909. 110 hits in 4 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Cleveland Naps in 1906. His best season was 1908 for the Washington Senators as he scored 40 runs and stole 15 bases in 410 plate appearances.

Bill Shipke Sweet Caporal 150-30: Overall, Shipke T206 cards may be a little less common than some (PSA-408). PSA has graded six Shipke T206 cards at PSA 8 and one at PSA 10. The Shipke T206 card is in Print Group 1.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Here we have another H/R card that is graded PSA 8. This card deserves high marks for its surface, edges, and corners. The centering is very near perfect. The side-to-side borders are tight. The back is centered a little right with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card is a PSA 4. As expected, it shows moderate wear to the surface, edges, and corners. The card is centered a little left and shows the hint of a slant cut. The borders are tight. The back is centered with good color and minor fading but shows moderate staining.

Comparison: The presentation of the H/R card is outstanding, much better than my card. The H/R card has better centering. Both cards have tight borders. The back of my card is superior.

My conclusion: I like the H/R card better. The tight borders bother me and would spur me to find a card with better borders. But my card has borders that are no better than the H/R card and suffers in comparison for everything else except backs.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would trade my card for the H/R card. The borders on my card are not good enough to support keeping it over the otherwise superior H/R card.

Additional Bill Shipke Fun Fact: He was at third base for the Senators when Walter Johnson debuted on August 2, 1907, against Detroit. When the Tigers tested Johnson by repeatedly bunting, it was Shipke defense that limited the damage.

[GeoPoto]

Card 22: Charles E. "Gabby" Street. "The Old Sarge". Catcher for the Washington Senators in 1908-1911. 312 hits and 2 home runs in 8 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1904. Caught ball dropped from top of Washington Monument. Holds MLB record for longest gap between MLB games at 19 years -- 1912-1931. Managed the St. Louis Cardinals in 1929 and 1930-1933, including the 1931 World Series championship. Managed the St. Louis Browns in 1938.

Gabby Street Catching Sweet Caporal 460-42OP: Street Catching T206 cards are common (PSA-512). PSA has graded thirteen Street Catching T206 cards at PSA 7, two at PSA 8, and one at PSA 9. The Street Catching T206 card is in Print Group 3.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The H/R card is graded PSA 7. The edges and corners are solid. The surface shows moderate wear, but the image is nice. The card is centered left, with decent borders, a little tight side-to-side. The back is reasonably centered with moderate fading, surface wear, and staining.

My Entry: My card is a PSA 2. The image is not terrible, despite evident wear to the surface, edges, and corners. The card is centered high left. The borders appear a little tight, particularly side-to-side. The back is centered high with decent color and minor fading but shows moderate staining.

Comparison: The H/R card presents much better than my card. The H/R card has better centering. It also probably has better borders. The backs are similar.

My conclusion: I like the H/R card better. It presents better than my card does. The borders are not great, but they are at least as good as those on my card. The H/R is much better centered with superior edges and corners.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I will trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card is superior, despite its unimpressive borders.

Additional Gabby Street Fun Fact: He debuted in MLB with the Cincinatti Reds in 1904. backing up starting catcher Admiral Schlei. The Reds had called up another catcher in 1904, Branch Rickey from Dallas of the Class-C Texas League. But when Rickey refused to play baseball on Sundays he was returned to Dallas, thus clearing the way for Street to join the team.

After two consecutive losses, the score stands at My Cards - 15; H/R cards - 4; with 3 ties.

[Eric72]

George,

Tip o' the hat to you for some carefully considered, well-written posts. This is quite the excellent thread. I applaud your approach to collecting, as well as the fact you've shared these pictures/comments with everyone.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Eric

[GeoPoto]

(Thanks for the kind words, Eric.)

Card 23: Charles E. "Gabby" Street. "The Old Sarge". Catcher for the Washington Senators in 1908-1911. 312 hits and 2 home runs in 8 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1904. Caught ball dropped from top of Washington Monument. Holds MLB record for longest gap between MLB games at 19 years -- 1912-1931. Managed the St. Louis Cardinals in 1929 and 1930-1933, including the 1931 World Series championship. Managed the St. Louis Browns in 1938.

Gabby Street Portrait Piedmont 350: Street Portrait T206 206 cards are common (PSA-591). PSA has graded seventeen Street Portrait T206 cards at PSA and eight at PSA 8. The Street Portrait T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: The H/R card is graded PSA 7 is perfectly centered and presents beautifully, with strong edges and corners and only a hint of surface wear and staining. But the borders are tight. The back is a letdown, featuring poor centering and considerable fading and surface wear with toning.

My Entry: My card is graded PSA 4.5. The image is good, and the surface looks clean, despite showing ample wear to the edges and rounded corners. The registration is not perfect. The card is well centered, but a little left. The borders are reasonable. The back is centered okay, but shows moderate fading, staining, and toning.

Comparison: The H/R card presents quite well but the borders are not comforting. My card suffers from a minor registration issue. The H/R card enjoys better centering. My card has the better borders. The backs are similar, not good.

My conclusion: I like my card better. I would like to upgrade it, but the H/R card is not the answer. Its borders are too tight to be a good candidate.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card looks great but falls down on borders.

Additional Gabby Street Fun Fact: In 1906, he was playing for San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League and staying at the Golden Gate Hotel. He was asleep early on the morning of April 18th, when he was thrown from bed by the earthquake. He remembered: ". . . I headed for the street. If I live to be a hundred, I shall always remember that scene. As we hit the street, en masse, the rear of the hotel collapsed and the water tank on the roof, halved by the second shock, washed every one of us. I walked through showers of brick and mortar to the Golden Gate Park where I spent the night.”