T206 Drums vs Uzits, Redux

[White Borders]

In some prior threads, it has been speculated that with last year's T206 Drum find in StL, T206 Uzit backs are now more rare than T206 Drum backs.

I came across an interesting article from Old Cardboard eNews Issue #14 (June 2005) titled: "Uzit, Uzit Everywhere". Here is the link followed by the article:

http://www.oldcardboard.com/eNews/20.../eNews14.htm#6

It is well known among T206 collectors and researchers that example cards printed with the Uzit cigarette brand promotion on the reverse are among the most difficult of all backs. So it must have been an eye-popping event when Robert Lifson of Robert Edwards Auctions recently stumbled across a collection of 160 T206 cards.

To Lifson’s surprise, he found that an astonishing 33 cards--more than 20 percent of the total cards in the T206 group--displayed the much sought after Uzit label on the reverse. The cards, along with a number of other non-T206 rarities, will be placed in a future REA auction, according to Lifson.

Cards with the Uzit back are printed in a light blue and were distributed in packs manufactured at Factory 30, District 2 in New York state. The Uzit backs are only found with fronts issued in the 460 series.

The T206 examples were part of a much larger group of tobacco cards that were found still intact after being gathered by the original owner around 1910. Perhaps the most prized Uzit card has Ty Cobb featured on the front.

The collection also includes a T206 Walter Johnson card with a Lennox back, a couple of "red-Hindu" backs, and other rarities. There are also several Broad Leaf backs (three from the ultra-rare 460 Series and one 350 Series), a "red Hindu" back, and other rarities.


It seems that every few years there is a "find" that slightly alters the T206 backs relative rarity ranking (or at least our opinions of the ranking). Of course I doubt that their will ever be a huge BL460 find that causes it to become more common than, say, Polar Bear backs. But I do think there will continue to be occasional finds that keep the relative rarity rankings somewhat in flux. And thus, always providing an opportunity for continued debate on this subject. And for me, one of the really fun things about T206 is that it still has many mysteries to explore, discuss, theorize on, and, perchance, even solve

Best Regards,
Craig