Having Fun on a cold Winter night with my T 206 Collection

[JJ McGraw]

The weather has been pretty cold and rainy this week, so I decided it was time to revisit and reorganize my T 206 collection. I started collecting these cards back in the late 1980’s and when I stopped a few years back( have no idea WHY I stopped) , I had quite a few cards in different holders stashed away in different locations…. Not a very smart thing to have done. So, this week I am methodically organizing it , pulling out my Beckett check list, where all the info on what I have and what I spent on each card. I still have 7 major league teams to go and then all the minor and southern league cards. I have already checked off 6 cards that were not accounted for in the Beckett book. I have left spaces where cards that I don’t have yet go and I have organized my cards by team. I’m anxious to get the new grand total on this set and then start filling some of the blank spaces. The real fun is going through this and re-examining each card and thinking about the “journey” of each card to my collection. Some of these are not in perfect condition, but I love the story they all tell.
These are definitely my number 2 favorite set ( my smaller Cracker Jack set being number 1) I love the Deadball era and read anything I can get my hands on.
This has been a great way to “come in from the cold” and continue to enjoy this hobby…..hope you all are doing the same.

[Casey2296]

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Good stuff Mike and thanks for posting.

Your passion for the hobby is clearly evident and to me is what's most important in our little enclave.

Good luck on the Monster.

[JJ McGraw]

Thanks Phil,
There is no better community than the folks here and thanks for the encouragement on the Monster. I know I’m well over 300, like I said, I’m looking forward to getting the new grand total!

[LEHR]

While the vast majority of my collection is slabbed, there's no denying how nice T-cards look in those 15 pocket pages and a binder. That would be a joy to flip through.

[rjackson44]

Prettty omg

[Zach Wheat]

Something satisfying seeing all the cards in plastic sleeves rather than graded card cases

[RayBShotz]

Great post.
A lot of passionate enjoyment right there.

[JJ McGraw]

Thank you guys. I totally agree. When I started the collection over 30 years ago, they did not make these sleeves. Recently, when I started to think about doing this, I noticed these pages for sale and yes, they make a difference. I also found this company that makes binders with the theme of the particular card collection you are doing on the outside. I have not received it yet, but it has been shipped. When I get it , I’ll post a review. Here is a picture below. They come in 1, 2 and 3 inch.

[Cmvorce]

Fantastic post and photos. I too organize my t206 by team in a binder and I get more joy from flipping through those pages than I do from anything else in my collection.

Winter is such a great time of year to enjoy what you have. Thanks for the inspiration and good luck the rest of the way.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by LEHR

While the vast majority of my collection is slabbed, there's no denying how nice T-cards look in those 15 pocket pages and a binder. That would be a joy to flip through.

All my cards are in Ultra Pro sheets and binders for precisely that reason. The reason I collect cards is because they provide me with delight and being able to flip through pages of cards in a binder maximizes that delight.

[JJ McGraw]

Couldn’t agree more with you both. Sometimes I think we lose sight of the joy of collecting. Once we acquire a card , esp in a graded case, it gets filed away as the value hopefully rises. And yes, the cards have risen in value far exceeding what I thought decades ago, but that isn’t why I collected them . Organizing them in a binder is a great way and an easy venue to “enjoy” the cards….as they should be. The colors, the crazy nicknames of players, the history of these Deadball teams is all part of the enjoyment of flipping through the album. When reading a book on a particular part of the Deadball era, I actually refer to these cards as part of the visual story. I’m glad to see I’m not alone on the album idea. Thanks to everyone for the support and gracious comments.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by JJ McGraw

I love the Deadball era and read anything I can get my hands on.

I really wish baseball was still played that way, i.e. doubles, triples, base stealing, with overall excitement on the base paths.

[nmsportsfan]

Wow amazing collection!

[JJ McGraw]

Thank you! It even surprised me when I pulled it off the shelf!

[CW]

Very nice!

[JJ McGraw]

Nice!!!! Thank you CW!

[obiwan1129]

Love the idea of a custom binder. Great way to make it your own.

I've been using the Lighthouse Vario binders which look nice and are the hanging style with a nice slipcase. It's great fun to pull my cards out and look through them.

[JJ McGraw]

Absolutely….the best way to enjoy them!

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

ooh when do we get to see the CJ collection? :-)

[abmchenry]

This is inspiring me to put more of my prewar collection in pages. I haven't yet done much of this partly because I have graded cards, partly because I've been too reluctant to handle my 100+ year old cards and transfer them around. I need to get over that because this is a better way to enjoy your cards than only boxes of slabs. Thanks for posting this.

[JJ McGraw]

You are welcome. With a binder, you are definitely going to feel more like pulling it out and looking and ENJOYING the cards. That’s also why I organize mine by team as it is really neat to see the makeup of the players on that particular team. As I have been reorganizing , I leave a space for the card I don’t have yet. As of a few days ago, I was five cards shy of having the complete Boston Doves/Rustlers ( Braves) team . Two days ago I bought the five missing cards and 6 more of other teams that I was missing. I thought it was appropriate to finish that team as , beyond cards, I collect everything Boston Braves and New York Giants and couldn’t let them be incomplete in the album. Luckily , I had been collecting all things Giants for much longer and have a lot more of the Giants T206’s, although there are way more to collect than the Boston cards. Boston was having a tough time in 1909-1911, hence the low number on the card set….only 14. All of the five cards I bought were raw and can go right in the album. On my Cracker Jack Boston Braves set I started working on last month, again 14 in the set , but they are one of the larger sets in CJ land as they won the World Series as the Miracle Braves in 1914. The two I lack are Butch Schmidt and Lefty Tyler…….no luck yet, but I’m hopeful!

[JJ McGraw]

The three albums I ordered from BCB today…..one for T 206 cards, one for T 205 cards( next project after finishing the T 206’s and an Allen and Ginter album ( 1887-1888). They have a massive amount of binders for literally every card from Ginter to the 1960’s. Unfortunately, they don’t make one for the Cracker Jack Cards.
I am well pleased with these albums, the artwork is stunning, they are good quality binders AND they are JUST PLAIN FUN!!!!!!!
Each binder comes with an ID sticker, I assume you put on the inside, as I wouldn’t cover anything on the outside artwork.
With how expensive regular binders are at Office Depot, you cannot go wrong, and less than a week to be delivered and packed perfectly where they will not be damaged. Can’t say enough and no, I’m not a stockholder! Just a very very pleased customer. Well done BCB!