Two T206 Old Mill Southern Leaguer Color Anomalies sold for $5,036

Robert Edward Auctions (April 27, 2014)

Fascinating pair of Southern Leaguers from the 1909-1911 T206 White Border set, each of which is a unique color anomaly. These two cards, Bay (Nashville) and Otey (Norfolk), are missing the yellow color process which would normally provide the bold yellow backgrounds we are accustomed to seeing with these subjects. Instead, the backgrounds are pink, providing an interesting and very unusual visual appearance. Both cards feature an Old Mill Cigarettes advertising reverse and appear to be hand-cut, possibly from the same production sheet, as the cuts on the edges appear to line up. Each card presents as Near Mint condition with virtually perfect centering and four sharp corners. Light areas of discoloration are present in the left and bottom borders of the Bay card and in the background of the Otey. The Old Mill backs are perfectly clean and boldly printed in black ink. Over the years we have seen a few color anomalies from the T206 set exhibiting the same characteristics, but we cannot recall seeing an example featuring a Southern Leaguer. The T206 set, affectionately known as "The Monster," is the most popular of all 1910-era sets and is still yielding new and exciting discoveries more than a century after its production. As collectors have become more sophisticated, there has been a growing appreciation for all great rarities and unusual cards associated with this landmark set. These two cards are noteworthy T206 printing errors that we believe will be of great interest to T206 scholars and collectors. Total: 2 cards. Reserve $200. Estimate (open).

Final Bid with Buyer's Premium (18.5%): $5,036