As the final moments ticked down on one of the most exciting sports card & memorabilia auction seasons in recent memory, Just Collect, Inc. emerged as the undisputed champion of vintage sports and non-sports cards. Months of intense research, evaluations and a flurry of bidding has secured them a record haul in terms of value, quality and rarity. A bevy of these incredible items will soon be made available to the collecting public by Just Collect, Inc. The list of upcoming offerings will include vintage cards of every variety, but buyers frequenting our upcoming auctions will notice a particular focus on the ever popular T-206 American Tobacco cards, a specialty of the Somerset, NJ auction house. From the time owner Leighton Sheldon discovered one of the few fresh Honus Wagner examples in existence back in 2003, savvy collectors have flocked to the company known for being the leading authority on scarce, rare and high-grade T206's. Week in and week out, Just Collect brings a number of these American Tobacco Company cards to market for their faithful buyers. Just Collect is preparing to raise the bar with their most recent acquisition, a complete T206 tobacco card set of 520 cards. While we have purchased thousands of T206 tobacco cards over the last 10 years this is the first complete set ever to be purchased in company history! This astonishing assortment, less only "The Big Four" (Honus Wagner, Eddie Plank, Sherry McGee/Magie error, and Joe Doyle variation), features an incredible assortment of baseball Hall of Famers highlighted by Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Addie Joss, Rube Marquard, Eddie Collins, Mordecai Brown, Clark Griffith, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance along with some of the most desirable variations in the hobby. Of special note are the wide range of American Tobacco Company advertising backs, many which have proven to be much more difficult to find. Of the possible tobacco advertisements an astounding ten can be found in the set here including Polar Bear, Tolstoi, Hindu, Cycle, Piedmont, Sovereign, El Principe De Gales, American Beauty, Old Mill, and Sweet Caporal. Additionally, a few bidding wars may be sparked in the coming weeks with the appearance of all forty-eight Southern League players. This popular subset is comprised of minor leaguers representing the Texas League, Southern Atlantic League and Virginia League. These southern based minor leagues acted in part as the minor league system for Major league Baseball. They too can be found with most standard back premiums as well as with the "Old Mill – Southern League" advertising back. While the player names may not be as recognizable to the average fan as many of the former Major Leaguers, the scarcity of the Southern League cards has put them in extremely high demand, especially in the regions of the country where these boys of summer took the field. For those collectors fascinated by baseball's seedier side, the set holds several direct and indirect participants of the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal. That year members of the defending champion White Sox were accused of taking bribes in order to throw the World Series, eventually won by the Cincinnati Reds. Two of the key figures in the plot were star pitcher Eddie Ciccotte and alleged mastermind Chick Gandil. Additionally, Hal Chase was indicted, but never tried and Bill Burns was alleged to have delivered money although never indicted. Ciccotte, who felt he was wronged by team owner Charles Comiskey, who had his star pitcher benched at season's end in order to avoid paying him a $10,000 bonus, and Gandil are the two White Sox in the set that were eventually banned from baseball. Collectors will line up for a crack at the very rare Ray Demmitt St. Louis American variation sporting a Polar Bear advertising reverse. Considered one of the toughest cards in the set outside of “The Big Four,” interest will be hot and heavy. The unique aspect of the John Titus card always initiates a whirlwind of interest as Titus is the sole player featuring a mustache in the entire set! All of the aforementioned, while extraordinary, is merely the tip of the iceberg. This set is so historically significant and deep in terms of variations and player/reverse combinations that it truly offers something for collectors at every tier. Even the hobbyist who has crossed off many of the top players from his T206 wish list will likely find a new take on their favorite stars, as many players, including most of the Hall of Famers, are represented in multiple poses or with different backgrounds. Being that the set was released over the course of three seasons from 1909-1911 some are even shown in different uniforms or representing different ball clubs altogether. Whatever it is you may be looking for, closure to your own set or team set or if you were just considering a dip into the surging popularity of the T206 market, now is the time and Just Collect, Inc. is the place. Access to a complete set like this is extremely uncommon and while bidding is will be fierce, those truly brave enough to tame "The Monster" just can't afford to miss out.
Watch us review this near set of T206 tobacco cards cards we recently purchased.
