What if...T206's didn't exist?!

[Ronnie73]

I've taken some time to think about this one. I don't really think i'd be collecting vintage cards. I collected cards as a kid like many of us have but stopped in 1993 because the hobby was changing and too many sets were being made. At that time I packed them into one room and thats where they stayed. Collecting is in my blood so at that time I switched my main focus to rare coins till 2003. Thats when I started a new business so all money went to that. Since I still had a collecting need, I switched to researching collectibles. One of the sets that I always avoided was the T206's and that was only because I didn't know anything about them. After researching them, I was hooked and still am. Since then, I have wondered into other vintage sets which I never would have if the T206's never existed. I probably would have went back to collecting rare coins and hoarding stamps and comicbooks. I know I wouldn't be on this website since it was a T206 purchase that brought me here and i'm glad it did.

[buymycards]

Do they really exist? I don't think so.

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by Al C.risafulli

Easy.

Instead of endless T206 threads, Net54 would be overrun with threads discussing the nuances of the card issue that would take it's place as the most beautiful, intriguing, and significant of its era. A set loaded with Hall of Famers, colorful artwork, detailed illustrations, back varieties, condition rarities, and print variations.

I'm referring, of course, to 1943 MP & Co.

Sometimes, T206 fans sit back and ask "How could anyone have POSSIBLY produced a set of cards like this?" and "What was going through the artist's mind when he produced this image?" Surely, people ask the exact same questions when discussing the MP & Co cards.

And, like the T206, MP & Co has its share of mysteries. For example, after putting out the set in 1943, why on earth would they have put it out AGAIN six years later, using different player names with the same artwork? Were the artists trying to improve on perfection? Were they trying to point out to young collectors that Larry Doby and Johnny Vandermeer looked so much alike that you couldn't really tell the difference between the two?

And who, exactly, is the player #30 off in the distance in the background of the Mel Ott card?



I realize it's not a very detailed image, but if you look at the earlobe, and the chin, I'd say that's a spitting image of an old Cap Anson out there, patrolling center field. What was Anson doing at the Polo Grounds in 1943, 21 years after his death? It's the kind of mystery that the hobby has never adequately addressed, if you ask me.

These are the kinds of discussions we'd be having here on Net54 if T206 had never existed.

Al

Great post, Al. Very funny.... One of the first cards I bought on ebay when I first got back into the hobby was the MP & Co Dimaggio. Great card! I don't know who number 30 is, but the answer definatly lies with the earlobe.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

if t206 didn't exist...would you still collect vintage bb cards...and if so...what would you collect and why?!

Peter,

Great question...and thanks for asking it.

I would still collect "vintage cards." As for the "what" and "why," I will try to be brief. Those who know me here realize that brevity is new territory for me.



My first exposure to baseball cards was during the late 70's, when Topps was the undisputed king of this hobby. Had their 15 cent wax packs not been the only offering, I might have taken a different path. That said, I never encountered T206 cards during those formidable years.

Had I arrived on the vintage scene then...and T206 did not exist...the Ramly cards would have captured my imagination and I would be chasing them down.

As for the "why," thier intricate borders appeal to me...and the photos are quite nice, too.

Best Regards,

Eric

[wonkaticket]

I guess I would have to pick a cheaper hobby like a reckless cocaine habit or something.

[GoldenAge50s]

I would have a much larger collection of T2088Donruss.

[3-2-count]

Originally Posted by wonkaticket

I guess I would have to pick a cheaper hobby like a reckless cocaine habit or something.

+1

[ValKehl]

More folks would be collecting the "real" Monster, the T210 set!!
Val