Q: How (and when) did you get into collecting T206s?
I started collecting T206s at the end of 2010. I have always had some interest in them but when I started going to card shows in the mid 1980s, I just didn’t feel comfortable buying something I knew very little about. At that time I was only 12 years old and didn’t have many ways of learning about the set except for the basic card value catalogs that were out at that time. I remember being at the shows and only a few tables having the older tobacco cards and there were always older guys at those tables and it felt like it was not a kid type of card display. It just didn’t feel too inviting. Too bad I didn’t just jump in there the same way I would when I was buying gold coins at the age of 12.
Q: How did you get interested in back collecting?
My first Tolstoi back card was Bob Groom. A month after that purchase, I bought a PSA 4 Bob Groom Polar Bear. This was only a few months into collecting T206s. I think I only had five different cards when I added my first duplicate front with a different back. That purchase opened up a lot of research on different combinations that were out there and also led me to net54. The more I read and researched, the more I was hooked on the idea of back collecting.
Q: Was there a certain card that piqued your interest in collecting cards based on their backs?
Besides the Bob Groom being my first duplicate front, the Hal Chase Blue Portrait was my first T206 project that I had more focus on than anything else at that time. I got up to 15 different backs before I jumped to another area of the set.
Q: How did you decide to go after a T206 Master Set?
It seemed like many collectors were going after certain card front runs of the different backs. There were many that I wanted to collect along with the basic 520-card set that it just made sense to go after them all. I figured that I could just buy cards when they were priced right and at some point I would be close to many goals that I wanted.
Q: What is your favorite back (and why)?
I can honestly say that I don’t really have a favorite back. If value is left out, I enjoy them all equally. If I had to choose at least one, it would be the Carolina Brights. I actually like some of the non T206 backs more, such as Mello Mint, Pirate, and Obak series one’s with or without the border.
Q: Working on a master set is a huge and potentially overwhelming project. Do you break it down into smaller projects in order to make it more manageable/approachable?
I bounce around the set so much. I don’t think I’ve ever been 100 percent focused on a goal in the master set. Every couple of weeks I’m changing my mind on what to go after. I can say that I actually stay away from Piedmont backs unless they are factory 42s or Elite 11s, and I was staying away from Sweet Caporals until recently. There’s just so many Piedmonts that there’s no point in purchasing them until there’s nothing else to buy.
Q: If so, which of these projects is closest to completion?
Even though I don’t focus 100 percent on one thing, after acquiring over 1000 different cards with nearly no Piedmonts or Sweet Caporals, you’re bound to be close to some subsets. I have a complete Old Mill Southern League set. I’m two cards away from a Sovereign 460 set, and eight cards away from a Polar Bear set.
Q: I recall you saying on net54 that you chose to go after a master set because you wanted a project that you couldn’t complete. That struck a chord with me because my collecting goals are similar in that I can never be finished. Can you elaborate a little on why that appeals to you? (No worries if not, I just think it’s a really interesting thing to think about. I think a lot of people collect sets, then sell them and keep moving on to something new, not realizing that getting the finish line isn’t as satisfying as they expect it to be.)
I’ve collected so many things over the period of my life from coins, stamps, comic books, and sports cards. What I’ve learned about myself is I enjoy the hunt and the chase the most. I actually lose interest in a set as I get closer to finishing it. For me, that’s an awful feeling, especially since so much time, money, and effort was spent into something and then you’re just looking to unload it to start something else. I feel with the challenge of a T206 master front/back set, I don’t ever have to worry about getting to that point and just continue to hunt and chase every day.
Q: Do you have a favorite card or cards in your collection?
As with not having a favorite card back, I don’t really have a favorite card front. I do like some, more than others. A few that I prefer: Bill Bradley with bat, Ty Cobb bat off shoulder, Wid Conroy with bat, Nap Lajoie with bat, and Heinie Zimmerman.
Q: Do you have a “white whale” or dream card that you’d like to someday own?
Well, since I am going after every card possible, The Honus Wagner is going to be needed. The only thing is I’ll need all 3 different card backs.
Q: Who is your favorite player in the T206 set?
I would probably have to say Hal Chase. I’m a New York Yankees fan anyways, and Chase was a good player, but controversy and corruption always seemed to follow him.
Q: Do you have any favorite stories of how you acquired certain cards? Are there any cards that you searched for for a long time before finally getting one?
I don’t really have any stories but during my first couple years of research, I was determined to find some of the now-well-known Sweet Caporal 350-460 Factory 30 “No Prints”. I found my first two cards in April 2014, after nearly two years of searching for something that wasn’t supposed to exist. You can imagine the heart pounding through my chest feeling. Fourteen months later the largest group of them started showing up on eBay and I was ready. I picked up the first two weeks of cards undetected until someone posted on Net54 questioning them. Then it was game on and time to show the deep pockets.
Q: Is there anything that you’ve learned along the way about the T206 set that was unexpected
Probably the fact that there’s always more to learn. As much of an expert you think you might be, there’s so much more that’s just not known for sure. That is one of the things I really do like about the set. All the answers can’t be found online. Many theories need to be investigated and even then, you may just have a bunch of great theories.
Q: Have you made any fun trades while building your collection?
I haven’t traded too much since I buy usually only what I need for my set. I’ve upgraded maybe 15 cards so far. I’ll pick up a Piedmont Elite 11 or similar if the price is right to either resell or trade for something else that I need for that subset but it doesn’t happen often.
Q: Have you made any friends along the way from trading, buying, chatting on net54, etc?
Yes. I like to think of everyone as a friend until they have given me a reason not to be. T206 collectors are like online family to me. Probably my best online friend/T206 family is Pete Gustafson.
