Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack Collection sold for $218,400

Robert Edward Auctions (Dec 8, 2024)

Lot #441: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 1 of 6 sold for $19,200

Presented is a newly discovered, original unopened pack of Piedmont cigarettes (Factory 25, Dist. VA.) dating from the era of T206 tobacco cards! This remarkable rarity was discovered recently at an estate in Richmond, Virginia, located ten miles away from the American Tobacco Company factory. Amazingly, the find featured a total of thirteen original packs, seven of which were still sealed and unopened (as offered here, no cellophane wrapper intact), while the remaining six were opened (tax stamp broken). Twelve of the thirteen packs are featured in this current auction. Our consignor is keeping one unopened pack for his personal collection.

An unopened T206-era pack is FAR rarer than collectors realize. In fact, this is the first Piedmont example, with "The American Tobacco Co." printed on the side, we have ever offered! Over the years we have seen and been offered countless unopened tobacco packs (all turned down by REA, including numerous erroneously dated "graded" packs) that allegedly were from the T206 era and which, upon researching the actual dating of the packs, were from a more recent era. We have also seen numerous unopened packs offered for sale and at public auction elsewhere as possibly containing a T206 that, upon checking the packaging and with a little research, were simply NOT from the T206 era. This is just the second unopened Piedmont pack that we have ever seen, let alone handled, that actually dates from the era in which T206s were issued and could actually contain a T206 card! (As a point of reference, the first Piedmont pack example appeared as Lot 1786 in REA's Spring 2014 auction, realizing $8,888.) Could this unopened pack contain a Ty Cobb or Eddie Plank card, which were both included in Factory 25, 2nd Dist. VA. packs packaged in 1910 through 1911? We may never know, but it is a scarce and significant item, ideal for display, relating to baseball card-collecting's premier tobacco-card issue. We should clarify that there is absolutely no guarantee that there is, in fact, a T206 inside this unopened Piedmont pack. There is really no way for us to know with certainty. It is even possible the pack includes a nonsport card.

The tax stamp affixed to the end of the unopened pack dates from only 1910 to 1916, thus dating the pack with certainty to those years. This Piedmont pack is a "American Tobacco Company" pack. This attribute defines it as likely dating from 1910 or 1911. There is no overprint on the tax stamp, a fact that does not allow us to date the pack more narrowly than from 1910 to 1916 (all Piedmont packs from this span of years look exactly the same with the exception of a possible overprint that, if present, would allow for an even more precise dating), but we know with certainty that 1910, the second year of issue for T206 cards, is a possibility. For future reference for collectors, we note that at a glance one can determine if a pack is a 1909-1911 T206 era pack based on the number of cigarettes in the pack: The fact that this pack is a ten-cigarette pack, of course, is consistent with the pack dating from the T206 era (twelve-cigarette packs, which have been presented as T206 packs in the past, were not issued until 1917 or later). Lastly, we know that Piedmont Cigarettes, Factory 25, District Virginia cards were issued as part of the T206 series. These facts define the offered pack as one that could actually contain a T206 card in its original as-issued form!

While collectors will appreciate this pack for its tremendous rarity regardless of its condition, the pack has miraculously survived in Excellent condition over the past century. Bright and clean, with only small tobacco stains visible, the pack remains firm and crisp. The tax stamp and slide are all fully intact. We would not recommend anyone purchasing this pack attempt to open it, as not only could this be very expensive, but the possibility exists for disappointment if there were no card at all or one were to wind up with a card from some nonsport tobacco-card set. This pack is special enough, unopened, as very possibly containing a Factory 25 T206 card (certainly one of the most probable we have ever seen). But if the winner does decide to open it, we hope they will document the event, perhaps doing it live or on video so that all interested collectors can share the experience. We are amazed at the rarity of a true T206 unopened pack and the fact that this is the first of its type we have ever encountered. This is a fascinating and exciting item for any advanced T206 or unopened-pack collector.

Lot #442: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 2 of 6 sold for $26,400

Lot #443: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 3 of 6 sold for $34,800

Lot #444: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 4 of 6 sold for $28,800

Lot #445: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 5 of 6 sold for $31,200

Lot #446: Circa 1910 Piedmont Cigarettes Unopened T206-Era Tobacco Pack 6 of 6 sold for $30,000