Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[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.”

[GeoPoto]

Card 24: Jesse N. Tannehill. Pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1908-1909. 197 wins and 7 saves in 15 MLB seasons. 1901 NL ERA leader. Pitched a no-hitter in 1904. Debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1894. Pitched over 2,750 MLB innings with a career ERA of 2.80.

Jesse Tannehill Sweet Caporal 350-30: Jesse Tannehill T206 cards are common (PSA-522). Jesse Tannehill Washington is generally used to differentiate between Jesse's cards and those of Lee Tannehill who played for Chicago. PSA has graded nine Jesse Tannehill T206 cards at the PSA 7 level and five at the PSA 8 level. The Jesse Tannehill T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: This PSA 7 card presents quite nicely. No complaints regarding surface, edges, or corners. While the argument could be made that it is well-centered a tad left, my eye would argue the centering is also low, crowding the name and team designation. Which brings us to the narrow bottom border, which is troublesome. The back is well centered with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card, which is graded PSA 5, presents well with some minor registration issues. The surface appears clean, and the edges and corners are strong. The card is well centered, but a little left and perhaps high. The back is centered high with moderate fading.

Comparison: The H/R card gets the edge for presentation, but my card competes pretty well. I prefer my card's centering because I dislike crowded bottoms, but the key issue is borders. The H/R card comes up short. If the top border is adequate, then the bottom is not. My card has the better borders. While the difference in borders may not be large, it is significant enough haunt the H/R card. The backs are similar, with the H/R card having the better centering.

My conclusion: I like my card better. The registration imperfection is minor and both cards present well. The decision driver is the borders on the H/R card which surface a concern regarding trimming and create a crowded bottom border.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. I like the way my card looks and see no reason to trade for a card more likely to have suffered trimming.

Additional Jesse Tannehill Fun Fact: Every year from 1897 to 1904, he ranked among his league’s top five in fewest walks per nine innings pitched.

[GeoPoto]

Card 25: Robert A. "Bob" Unglaub. Infielder for the Washington Senators in 1908-1910. 554 hits and 5 home runs over 6 MLB seasons. Debuted with the New York Highlanders in 1904. Managed the Boston Americans in 1907.

Bob Unglaub Piedmont 350: Unglaub T206 cards are plentiful (PSA-646). PSA has graded eleven Unglaub T206 cards at the PSA 7 level and five at PSA 8. The Unglaub T206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: This is another (and final) H/R card graded PSA 7 with wonderful surface, edges, and corners. It presents nicely and is perfectly centered. As seems to be the pattern, however, it has tight borders. The back is not so good. Though it is well centered, it shows moderate wear, fading, staining, and toning.

My Entry: My card, a PSA 3 looks quite nice. The image is good, the corners are soft and rounded, but overall, not bad. The centering is good, a little right. The borders are quite pleasing. The back is centered, but shows moderate fading, wear, staining, and toning.

Comparison: The H/R card presents better than my card does, but not as much as the grades might imply. My card is centered very well, but not quite as well as the H/R card. The H/R card has tight borders, my card does not. The backs are similar, but both are a little disappointing.

My conclusion: I'm definitely favoring my card. The issue, as so often seems to be the case, is the borders. All of the advantages enjoyed by the H/R card are undone by the tight borders. The peace of mind provided by my card is substantial.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I would not trade my card for the H/R card. The H/R card looks a little better, until you consider the borders. I would rather have my card despite, its deficiencies. Its borders are better by far.

Additional Bob Unglaub Unfortunate Fact: In 1916, he was still playing and managing in the minor leagues when he was killed during his off-season job while superintending repair work on a locomotive.

This brings us to the end of our comparisons with the final tally: my cards -- 18; H/R cards 4; with three ties. I'll be back tomorrow with some final thoughts.