Spring 2020 - Item detail
1912 T207 Brown Background PSA-Graded Near-Complete Set (202/206)
- Sold For:
- $16,200
- Year:
- 1912
- Auction:
- 2020 Spring
- Lot #:
- 438
- Category:
- Prewar Baseball - T Tobacco Cards
Presented is a tremendous near-complete master set of 1912 T207 Brown Background cards consisting of 202 of the 206 cards in the master set, including several Hall of Famers and many rarities. The entire near-set is graded and encapsulated by PSA (except for one SGC as noted). The T207 set includes approximately fifty particularly rare cards, and from the earliest days of collecting this fact has always made completion extremely challenging. The T207 set has always been fascinating to advanced collectors and includes a high concentration of obscure players that appear in few other sets, as well as Hall of Famers such as Tris Speaker and Walter Johnson, and “Black Sox” members Buck Weaver and Ed Cicotte. The set is missing the following four cards for completion: #8 Bauman, 20 Bushelman, 102a Lewis/no emblem, and 125 Mogridge. (Lewis/no emblem and Mogridge are offered as separate lots in this auction.)
In the following condition composite, identifying card numbers are referenced from the numbers provided by the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards checklist. PSA Grading Composite: EX+ 5.5 (1 card): #12. EX 5 (2 cards): #142 and 186 Weaver (MC). VG-EX 4 (17 cards): #4a (MC), 15, 18 (MC), 31 (MK), 36, 37 (MK), 49, 52, 54, 63 (MK), 79, 126, 154, 156 (MC), 163 (MC), 175 (MC), and 179. VG+ 3.5 (3 cards): #47, 177 Tinker, and 199. VG 3 (26 cards): #2 (MK), 13, 34, 41 (SGC 3), 57a, 61, 62, 64, 77, 89, 99, 107 Lowdermilk, 108 Marquard, 115, 121, 123, 131b, 133, 145, 146, 157, 169, 169, 183, 189 (MC), and 193. GOOD+ 2.5 (10 cards): #51, 60, 68, 69, 84 Johnson, 104b Livingson Big C, 119m 122 W. Miller, 132, and 148. GOOD 2 (74 cards): #1, 3, 4b, 7, 10 Bender (MK), 11, 14 (MK), 17, 19 Bresnahan, 22, 25 Carey RC (MK), 28 Chance, 33, 35, 38 (MK), 42 (MK), 44, 45 Donlin, 50, 53 (MC), 55, 57b (MC), 66, 67 (MK), 71, 72, 75, 76 (MK), 82 (MK), 85 (MK), 88, 90, 93, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 102b Lewis/emblem on sleeve (MK), 110, 112 (MK), 113 McGraw (MK), 117, 130 (MK), 134, 135, 136, 137 (MK), 140, 141 (MC), 144, 149, 150 (MC), 151, 152, 153 Saier, 158, 160, 161, 162, 170, 172, 173, 174, 181, 185, 190, 194, 195, 196 Wood, 197, and 200 (MK). FAIR 1.5 (40 cards): #6, 9 (MK), 16, 23 (MK), 27, 29 Cicotte, 32, 40, 41 (MK), 43, 48, 56, 58, 65 (MK), 73, 80, 81 Hooper, 87 (MK), 91, 92, 111, 114, 118 (MK), 120, 127, 128, 129 (MK), 131a, 139, 147, 159 (MK), 166, 167, 178, 180 (MK), 184 Wallace (MK), 187 Wheat (MK), 188 G. White, 191 (MK) and 192 (MC). POOR 1 (24 cards): #5, 21 (MK), 24, 26, 39, 46 (MC), 70, 78 (MK), 86, 94, 98, 104c, 105 (MK), 106, 116 McKechnie, 124, 138, 143, 164 Speaker, 165, 171, 176, 185, and 198. AUTHENTIC (6 cards): #30, 59, 74, 83, 109, and 155.
Rare Advertising Backs: Seven cards have the rare red Cycle back, twenty-three cards have the rare Broadleaf advertising back, one card has the rare Napoleon advertising back, and sixteen have no advertising on their reverses (often referred to by collectors in the old days as issued by Coupon Cigarettes). The rare-back cards (Cycle, Broadleaf, and no advertising) are usually associated with the rarer cards in the T207 set, as most were issued only with the rare advertising backs. There are also cards that come only with Recruit backs, however, such as Ellis, Graham, Kling, and Stovall, among others, that are also noteworthy rarities. This is a very attractive near-complete master set, appearing at a glance far stronger than suggested by the technically accurate assigned grades listed above. The large number of extremely rare cards in the T207 set makes this issue one of the most difficult to complete of all 1910-era tobacco-card sets. This is an exceptional near-complete set of this classic and sometimes overlooked tobacco-card issue, which is so rarely offered in complete-set form. The total SMR value for just 150 of the graded cards is $9,211. This is, however, just a guide (when offered individually the rare cards routinely sell for more than guide price) and it also does not include the six cards graded Authentic or the forty-nine qualified cards, and this total factors in the half-graded cards at the lower whole-grade level. Also, many of the tougher cards in this set are listed at the common price in SMR, and there is no accounting for any premium associated with the rare advertising backs. Total: 203 cards (near-set of 202 plus one duplicate). Reserve $2,500. Estimate $5,000+.
In the following condition composite, identifying card numbers are referenced from the numbers provided by the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards checklist. PSA Grading Composite: EX+ 5.5 (1 card): #12. EX 5 (2 cards): #142 and 186 Weaver (MC). VG-EX 4 (17 cards): #4a (MC), 15, 18 (MC), 31 (MK), 36, 37 (MK), 49, 52, 54, 63 (MK), 79, 126, 154, 156 (MC), 163 (MC), 175 (MC), and 179. VG+ 3.5 (3 cards): #47, 177 Tinker, and 199. VG 3 (26 cards): #2 (MK), 13, 34, 41 (SGC 3), 57a, 61, 62, 64, 77, 89, 99, 107 Lowdermilk, 108 Marquard, 115, 121, 123, 131b, 133, 145, 146, 157, 169, 169, 183, 189 (MC), and 193. GOOD+ 2.5 (10 cards): #51, 60, 68, 69, 84 Johnson, 104b Livingson Big C, 119m 122 W. Miller, 132, and 148. GOOD 2 (74 cards): #1, 3, 4b, 7, 10 Bender (MK), 11, 14 (MK), 17, 19 Bresnahan, 22, 25 Carey RC (MK), 28 Chance, 33, 35, 38 (MK), 42 (MK), 44, 45 Donlin, 50, 53 (MC), 55, 57b (MC), 66, 67 (MK), 71, 72, 75, 76 (MK), 82 (MK), 85 (MK), 88, 90, 93, 95, 96, 97, 100, 101, 102b Lewis/emblem on sleeve (MK), 110, 112 (MK), 113 McGraw (MK), 117, 130 (MK), 134, 135, 136, 137 (MK), 140, 141 (MC), 144, 149, 150 (MC), 151, 152, 153 Saier, 158, 160, 161, 162, 170, 172, 173, 174, 181, 185, 190, 194, 195, 196 Wood, 197, and 200 (MK). FAIR 1.5 (40 cards): #6, 9 (MK), 16, 23 (MK), 27, 29 Cicotte, 32, 40, 41 (MK), 43, 48, 56, 58, 65 (MK), 73, 80, 81 Hooper, 87 (MK), 91, 92, 111, 114, 118 (MK), 120, 127, 128, 129 (MK), 131a, 139, 147, 159 (MK), 166, 167, 178, 180 (MK), 184 Wallace (MK), 187 Wheat (MK), 188 G. White, 191 (MK) and 192 (MC). POOR 1 (24 cards): #5, 21 (MK), 24, 26, 39, 46 (MC), 70, 78 (MK), 86, 94, 98, 104c, 105 (MK), 106, 116 McKechnie, 124, 138, 143, 164 Speaker, 165, 171, 176, 185, and 198. AUTHENTIC (6 cards): #30, 59, 74, 83, 109, and 155.
Rare Advertising Backs: Seven cards have the rare red Cycle back, twenty-three cards have the rare Broadleaf advertising back, one card has the rare Napoleon advertising back, and sixteen have no advertising on their reverses (often referred to by collectors in the old days as issued by Coupon Cigarettes). The rare-back cards (Cycle, Broadleaf, and no advertising) are usually associated with the rarer cards in the T207 set, as most were issued only with the rare advertising backs. There are also cards that come only with Recruit backs, however, such as Ellis, Graham, Kling, and Stovall, among others, that are also noteworthy rarities. This is a very attractive near-complete master set, appearing at a glance far stronger than suggested by the technically accurate assigned grades listed above. The large number of extremely rare cards in the T207 set makes this issue one of the most difficult to complete of all 1910-era tobacco-card sets. This is an exceptional near-complete set of this classic and sometimes overlooked tobacco-card issue, which is so rarely offered in complete-set form. The total SMR value for just 150 of the graded cards is $9,211. This is, however, just a guide (when offered individually the rare cards routinely sell for more than guide price) and it also does not include the six cards graded Authentic or the forty-nine qualified cards, and this total factors in the half-graded cards at the lower whole-grade level. Also, many of the tougher cards in this set are listed at the common price in SMR, and there is no accounting for any premium associated with the rare advertising backs. Total: 203 cards (near-set of 202 plus one duplicate). Reserve $2,500. Estimate $5,000+.