T206 Emil Batch with Extremely Rare Upside-Down Back sold for $4,148

Robert Edward Auctions (April 27, 2014)

Extremely unusual T206 card of Emil Batch (Rochester) with a factory printing error. Despite appearing perfectly normal on front, the card has a severe factory miscut and misprinted back in which the Sweet Caporal advertisement is printed upside down. This card features a unique blank area in the space above the Sweet Caporal advertisement which seems to correspond to Batch's placement at the top of a production sheet as most upside-down back examples display a portion of another advertisement. When it comes to the T206 set, which is the most highly collected of all vintage card sets, anything unusual (especially if it might in any way shed light on the mysteries of how the T206 set was printed) is of great note. This is an extremely rare and unusual printing anomaly. Graded EX 60 by SGC, it is also in the finest condition of the very few upside-down back T206s we have ever seen. Bright and crisp with bold colors, perfect centering, and light even wear to the corners. The back is bright red and perfectly clean. Upside-down backs are extremely rare; for context, there are fewer confirmed upside-down backs than Broad Leaf 460 examples, which rank as the fourth-most difficult advertising back within the entire set according to T206Resource.com. This card is also noteworthy as it is a Sweet Caporal Factory 25 card, which was produced in lesser quantities than Sweet Caporal Factory 30 thus making an upside-down back from this factory statistically rarer. As collectors have become more sophisticated, they have become increasingly appreciative of all great rarities and unusual cards associated with the landmark T206 set. This is a fascinating printing error. Value is always subjective, but in this case, because of its relative uniqueness, there is no consensus on value for this card. We are confident the auction process will provide clarity. Reserve $300. Estimate (open).

Final Bid with Buyer's Premium (18.5%): $4,148