It's almost a collecting genre unto itself. Those who appreciate T206 cards often collect them based on the tobacco advertisements on the back. Piedmont and Sweet Caporal cigarette brands are the most common, but there are others that show up far less often. One of those is El Principe De Gales, and this week in our online auctions, we’ve got one of only 4 PSA graded cards of Hall of Famer Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown featuring that particular back. Barely over 1,000 cards have passed through PSA featuring the El Principe De Gales back so this is a rare opportunity to add not only one of the more scarce back variations to your collection but also a Hall of Famer. On top of that, this is one of the higher quality 4's you'll see. Nicely centered with only some mild corner and edge wear, its borders are bright white and the portrait of the Cubs' great pitcher stands out. Bidding closes Sunday night and the interest has already been off the charts. Collecting T206 backs is a fascinating element of this iconic set. They tell the story of the tobacco industry in this country a century ago and it’s obvious from the number of different brands offered in the eastern half of the country that smoking was extremely popular. El Principe de Gales Havana Cigars and Cigarettes were made by the Havana-American Company, which was located at 111 Fifth Avenue in New York. Rare backs always sell for strong prices whenever we have them, but if you have other pre-War vintage baseball cards to sell or consign, please contact us. We’ll follow up with an offer or provide information on how you can get them into our weekly auctions. We’ll do all the work for you—and you’ll get the cash.
