Anyone working on or already completed a T205 set?

I'm beginning the venture and looking for some kind advice from someone who's gone through it. Where to start, who was difficult to source or source reasonable, etc..

Also, I'm new to this board and have been a member of others as a buyer and seller, but ultimately I am a collector.

Eric

Joe hit it on the head. My start into the t205 set was a Hoblitzel no stats and a Joss. One of the last cards I remember getting was a Wallace no hat. The set is a challenge you can collect it any way you want. I am working on it for a second time. This time, I am just going for a complete set of fronts and not worrying about back variations. Along with that, I am also trying to get each card was issued with a Sovereign back.

Jay

I was hoping for motivation more than anything else. I've collected pre-war since 1984 and abandoned that for dead ball era just a year ago. Most of my years were sample collecting outside of the 1939 Play Ball set I constructed so I'm excited to to put this together. Recently completing the T206 Cubs with a minimum of two backs for each card was surprisingly challenging from a cost standpoint because they're so sought after.

My intention is to start with the minor leaguers and try and purchase some lots so I can begin tactically pursuing the gaps. Right now I have zero T205's so I need to get a handful to so I can start hunting and pecking the remaining cards which is where I agree the fun is.

Thanks for the input and expect some questions as I move forward. I must know every detail of the set and look forward to learning.

Eric S.

Tao_moko wrote:My intention is to start with the minor leaguers and try and purchase some lots so I can begin tactically pursuing the gaps. Right now I have zero T205's so I need to get a handful to so I can start hunting and pecking the remaining cards which is where I agree the fun is.

Welcome to the forum, Eric! I think this is a good approach to collecting the T205 set. By chunking your quest into manageable groups (ie. team sets, minor leaguers), it will give you some structure and a sense of accomplishment as you make your way towards completion. That was my strategy as well when I collected the set in 2001/2002, I pursued the HOFers, minor leaguers, and tough variations first.

I'm no t205 expert, but here are some of the tough cards which might give you some trouble along the way. (T205 guys, please correct me if I've gone astray somewhere on this list).

Variations:
Hoblitzell "no stats"
Moran "stray line"
Wilhelm "suffered"
Wallace "one line of 1910 stats"
Shean and Graham (Cubs)
*Besides the Shean and Graham, these ones are gonna cost some serious coin.

HOFers
Joss - tough but attainable. Popular because of obituary on the back.
Evers - underrated
J Collins (ML)
Walsh
Bresnahan (open mouth)
Collins (open mouth)

Short Prints
Dahlen
Donohue
Fischer
Grant
Karger
Raymond
Kleinow
Rowan
Scanlan
Suggs
Sweeney
Turner
Vaughn
Wagner

Ben's list is pretty good. If you notice from his first group, they are all back variations except Shean and Graham. This is the main reason I am not chasing back variations. At a later time I might, but as much as I love the bios on the back, the back variations don't really interest my because most just typos or stray lines of text from other cards. There is a variation for Wilhelm on the back where the word is is either "suffered" or "suffe ed" and variation for Mathewson that is only found with the Cycle back that shows his record as 37-1 instead of 37-11. The Matty variation has been known for years but hasn't commanded a premium until recently.

Jay

Thanks for the advice and info. I begin the quest tomorrow morning and will keep in touch throughout the process.

Eric

That is a great list Ben. One card I would add is a Dolly Gray with stats. I think that is one of the top five rarest t205's.

-Randy

Almost fully complete with all variations and 1 of each back including both colors of the Broadleaf back. Still need a Hobby no stats but refuse to pay huge amounts for a card that is readily available and way over rated in scarcity.

Actually if you are going to list the Wilhelm (suffered) which should really be listed as Hassan back as that is the only way to get that, you should also list the Mathewson Cycle back which has the stats variation. Dan.

Ben you are an expert in my eyes!!

probably to the short print list should be added Chase left ear only and harmon one ear and there is a dude with a partial B on his cap. I think I wore out my welcome in this post ah?

Partial B dude is Barger. Check outt he recent pick ups thread to see the one I just got.

jay

I have owned 3 T205 Matty's with Cycle backs, never thought it was a big deal and when I asked about it everyone told me it was no big deal. I no longer own any of them and sold them before the craze.

Good Luck in your journey it is always more fun in the hobby if you have a focus to your collection.

Lee

I agree Lee, it shouldn't be a big deal though that brand is fairly tough with Matty. The Hassan Wilhelm is short printed similar to the other known short prints so that is fairly rare. Dan