1909–1911 T206 White Border Set Overview

Card Specs: 1.44" x 2.63"  |  524 cards  |  Color  |  Classification: Tobacco  |  T206

The T206 White Border set, issued between 1909 and 1911 by the American Tobacco Company, is the most popular and prestigious prewar baseball card set. The set features 524 distinct player portraits, including 390 Major Leaguers and 134 Minor Leaguers, presented in a clean white-bordered design sized to fit inside packs of tobacco.

Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson are the biggest names in the set, with multiple images appearing for each player (besides Wagner).

T206 White Border Design and Advertising Variations

T206 cards were printed with sixteen different tobacco advertisements on the reverse, ranging from common backs such as Piedmont and Sweet Caporal to scarcer brands including Polar Bear, Hindu, Broad Leaf, Lenox, Drum, and Uzit.

Sample of advertising backs from the T206 White Border set

Aside from the various advertising backs, T206 cards also included multiple portrait versions and background colors of some player. In many cases, a card’s value is as much tied to the advertising back or portrait version as it is to the player himself.  All in all, the seemingly endless combinations of fronts and backs and a few extremely scarce short-prints make assembling a master set near impossible, earning T206 a suitable nickname - “The Monster”.

T206 White Border Cy Young Variations

Most Valuable T206 White Border Cards - "The Big Four"

Any conversation about the most valuable T206 cards starts with the “Big Four”, with Honus Wagner leading the way. Commonly known as one of, if not the most iconic trading cards ever, the T206 Wagner was released in extremely limited quantities because, as legend as it, he did not actually approve of his inclusion in the set.  Many believe he didn’t want to be used to promote tobacco products. The scarcity of the card and his status as one of the era’s top players combine to make the card a true grail for collectors, pushing values into seven-figures in virtually any condition.

T206 Honus Wagner that sold for $6.6 million in 2021.

Rounding out the “Big Four” are Eddie Plank, Sherry Magee, and Joe Doyle.  Plank’s card, like Wagner’s, is extremely scarce and the reason for the “short-print” remains a mystery. Some believe it to have been a printing plate issue, but more likely Plank objected to being included with tobacco products, as he seldom appeared in any of the era’s cigarette card sets.

The latter two earn their “Big Four” status due rare misprints that were corrected in the early stages. On these error cards, Sherry Magee’s name is printed “Magie”, and Joe Doyle’s team is listed as “N.Y. Nat’l”, despite playing on the American League Highlanders.

T206 Joe Doyle (Nat'l), Sheery Magee (Magie), and Eddie Plank

More Deadball Era Stars

Aside from the Big Four, T206 collectors also highly covet the top players of the era - most notably Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson.  Each of these players were featured with more than one image and multiple advertising backs, and the more rare combinations can exponentially increase market value.

T206 Ty Cobb with rare Broad Leaf back that sold for $270k in 2024.

T206 Southern League Subset

The T206 set also includes a meaningful Minor League component, highlighted by the 48-card Southern League subset, a smaller regional print run with only Piedmont and Old Mill advertising backs. The Southern League set is considered one of the most challenging portions of the checklist, and some niche T206 collectors chase these cards specifically.

Recent REA Auction T206 Sales

T206 Honus Wagner - SGC 3 — $ 6,606,296 - 2021 Summer Auction

T206 Ty Cobb (Broad Leaf Back) PSA 2.5 — $270,000 - 2024 Spring Auction

T206 Graded Near Complete Set - $186,000 - 2025 Spring Auction

FOR MORE AUCTION RESULTS, SEARCH "T206" IN OUR AUCTION ARCHIVE.

How to Sell T206 White Border Cards

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