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  T206 Pricing Formula

 



  T206 Backs Discussion


American Beauty cards were issued with both the 350 and 460 Series of T206s. In both cases the design is printed in green. They are somewhat uncommon, but are not considered rarities by most collectors. The 350 Series cards appear with two variations; one shows a frame around the edge of the card, the other does not. For whatever reason, the frameless variation is more often seen with those cards that were issued in both the 350 and 460 Series. The frameless variation also seems to be more difficult to obtain, but is not an extreme rarity. The 460 Series cards were only issued in the frameless variation, and are tougher to obtain than the 350 Series. It is important to note that American Beauties are a little narrower than other T206s; they are not trimmed. However, this is a normal condition as the American Beauty tobacco package was a bit smaller than the other brands. BACK

Broadleaf cigarettes were printed in a dark brown and appear with two backs. The 460 Series back is especially difficult to obtain and as rare as Drum back. BACK

Carolina Brights are another rare T206 back, often demanding premiums up to twice that of common cards. Issued in black with a distinctive wreath worked into the design, these cards are usually associated with cards that only appeared in the 350 Series. Some cards which appeared in both the 350 and 460 Series may also be found with Carolina Brights advertising on their backs, but these are tougher to find. BACK

Cycle also printed in black, was issued with two backs which specify the respective Series. Cycles first appeared with the 350 Series, and are fairly uncommon. They also appeared with a 460 Series back; these are somewhat rarer than those from the 350 Series. These cards generally demand a small premium over the price of a common card. BACK

Drum cards were only issued with a 350 Series back and were printed in purple. Aside from the Ty Cobb, Drum backs are amazingly tough. BACK

El Principe de Gales issued cards in all three phases of the T206 set's distribution but do not specify the Series on the back. They are printed in red. El Principes are not as common as other brands, but are not rare enough to demand a premium for their scarcity. El Principe de Gales translated to "the Prince of Wales" BACK

Hindu backs are perhaps the most distinctive T206 cards. Issued with a unique design, showing "Hindu" in a scroll over the top of the card, they were printed in both brown and red. The brown Hindus first appeared with the 150 Series cards, although they are not so designated. These cards should demand approximately the same premium as the Cycles, but are often priced higher. They were also issued with the Southern, South Atlantic, and Virginia League players. These are very rare, comprising less than 5% of the Southern League cards. These subsequently demand a significant premium over those Southern League cards with Piedmont or Old Mill backs. Red Hindus apparently showed up later in the T206 process. The reds are quite rare and will only be found on cards that are not known with brown Hindu back. Learn about Brown/Red Hindu BACK

Lenox cards are rare but not as rare as Drum or Uzit. They are mostly printed in black and a few Lenox backs have been found in brown. They are generally seen with cards issued in the 460 Series. Lenox brown backs typically command a premium similar to the 460 Series Broadleaf. Learn about Black/Brown Lenox BACK

Old Mill is another common back printed in black, and was issued at all times during the T206 set's distribution. There are two different backs. The first advertises Old Mill cigarettes, and was issued with major and minor league players. The second Old Mill back is only found with the 48 Southern League players and specifically promotes the Southern, South Atlantic, Texas and Virginia Leagues. Recently, a few specimens have been found on Southern League players with Old Mill back printed in brown. These brown Old Mill are exceedingly rare and tougher than those brown Lenox variations. Learn about Black/Brown Old Mill SL BACK

Piedmont backs are the most common in the T206 set. Approximately half of all T206s were issued with Piedmont Cigarettes advertised on the back. Piedmonts were issued throughout the life of the set, including the scarce Southern League series. There is, however, one variation among the Piedmonts which ranks with Uzit or Drum in its rarity. In the 350-460 Series, most Piedmont cards were issued at Factory No. 25. A small number were apparently issued at Factory No. 42. These cards are rare, and only a dozen have been seen over the past few years. Despite this rarity, they can be found as cheaply as typical Piedmont cards. BACK

Polar Bear cards are distinctive, being the only T206 cards with white printing on a dark background. While not identified as belonging to any Series, Polar Bears appear to have been issued with many of the T206 cards of the 350 and 460 Series, including the famous Demmitt and O'Hara St. Louis variations. Polar Bears are common cards, and are often stained, since they were packaged with scrap tobacco instead of cigarettes. BACK

Sovereign cigarettes issued cards in all three series of the T206 set. Printed in green, the printing color varied from light to dark, but these are not variations. They are commonly seen, and no series may be said to be rare, although the 460 Series appears less often than the other two. BACK

Sweet Caporal cards are almost as common as Piedmonts, and were also issued during all phases of the T206 distribution, but are not seen with Southern Leaguers. A total of nine Sweet Caporal backs may be found, and most are very common. Three were issued with the 150 Series, at Factories 25, 30, and 649. Factory 649 overprint, with a red bar blocks out the old factory, is tougher to find. Two more were issued with the 350 Series, at Factories 25 and 30. Neither back is rare. Lastly, four backs appeared in conjunction with the 350-460 Series. One appears as all other Sweet Caporal backs, and the other as an overprint, an ornate design is used to block out a previous factory designation. Among this Series, the Factory 25 and the Factory 42 overprint variation are the less common, but demand no price premium. BACK

Tolstoi backs resemble the Piedmonts in design, but are printed in black, and do not designate which Series they were issued with. They are usually seen with cards from the 350 or 460 series, and are about as rare as the El Principes or American Beauties. BACK

Ty Cobb backs are the rarest in existence. There are only a dozen known, and are only seen with Ty Cobb Portrait with Red Background. Due to the low number in existence, some collectors are curious whether the card was actually issued. Some collectors don't even consider such back as part of the T206 set since all Ty Cobb backs (except one) has glossy coating on the front which are similar to T213-2 Coupon Tobacco series. BACK

Uzit backs are even tougher to find than Lenox's and are seen with those cards issued only in the 460 Series. Printed in light blue. These cards demand a premium slightly greater than Lenox. BACK


RELATED ARTICLES:

Checklist - Regular Backs Checklist (with Images)
Checklist - Backs Checklist in Scarcity Order
Periodicals - Color Variations on T206 Backs
Discussion Forum - Brown & Red Hindu back on a same pose


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