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Learn about 1909-1911 T206 Back Rarities on Vintage Spotlight Podcast

Leighton Sheldon and Jeremey Lee Discuss The Hobby's Famous Set

July 13, 2024

The 1909-1911 T206 tobacco set is one of the most famous in our hobby. Home to the "Holy Grail" of cards, the Honus Wagner, the T206 set is one described in one word: iconic. Did you know there are 16 different backs to this set? Just Collect owner, Leighton Sheldon, and Sports Card Live's Jeremy Lee join up to discuss the rarity of each back on the Vintage Spotlight podcast.

Some of the most-sought after and desired cards in the hobby come from the 1909-1911 T206 tobacco set. Inserted into different brands of tobacco over a Century ago, holding each card is like holding a time capsule. Imagine today using baseball cards to sell cigarettes! The only way to get ahold of a card featuring your favorite player was to purchase a pack of cigarettes like Piedmont or Sweet Caporal. When these cards were created back 1909,the average wage was 22 cents per hour, and not everyone had a bathtub in their house. A different world.

A variety of different brands advertised their tobacco on the back of each card. In total, there are 16 different backs you can find on a T206 card, with some being more rare and valuable than others. Imagine this in terms using a cup of coffee today. You could find a lot of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, but a more regional company such as Stewart's or WaWa coffee brands would be a little more difficult to find back when only a handful of cars and paved roads existed - people didn't travel to the areas where some of the cigarettes were sold.

How do you know which T206 backs are rare and valuable? Leighton Sheldon and Jeremy Lee are here to teach you! Leighton, the owner of Just Collect, has purchased many collections of T206 cards including the ultra-scarce Eddie Plank card in The Fairy Godmother Find. Recently, Leighton purchased hundreds of T206 cards in one collection that includes Ty Cobb and Cy Young that you can see HERE.

With decades of experience, Leighton brings you his wealth of knowledge with the host of Sports Cards Live, Jeremy Lee, to teach out all about the T206 backs on The Vintage Spotlight:

If you have a collection of 1909-11 T206 cards or other vintage cards you're interested in selling, we'd love to hear from you! Reach out any time for a FREE APPRAISAL. You can contact us here at Just Collect any time - here is our how you can sell your cards:

WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 1979 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss or get our industry-leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace. Check out the Just Collect Buy List.

We always offer a FREE APPRAISAL for your collection here at the Just Collect site. Just click here:

We offer may ways to evaluate your cards other than or using our website, too.

Travel to Us

If you can make the trip here like the son from my hometown did for this collection- we can make a deal at the office. We once met a father-son duo that drove eight hours from Virginia to meet us to sell a Michael Jordan rookie card stored in Tupperware since 1986 - great read here.

Come to convention

We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending. Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.

Meet in-person

If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.

Meet in New York City

If you're near New York City and would like to meet in a public place, our owner, Leighton, would be happy to meet you; read all the information here.

SHIP your collection

If you choose to mail your cards for an appraisal, we will evaluate your cards for FREE still. If you choose not to sell the cards, we'll ship them back shipping fees paid by us! We can offer our FedEx account with 2-day shipping, fully insured, all covered by us. Simply contact the office to set up this option.

OUR BUYING PHILOSOPHY

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the last 25 years. Although Just Collect is known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage baseball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, too!

Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and souls into building their collections. So when you're ready to sell, we understand the feelings that you're going through and will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.