| name | t206-evaluation |
| description | Use when evaluating any T206 (1909-1911 American Tobacco) cigarette card. T206 is the foundation of vintage card collecting.
|
T206 Evaluation
T206 set has ~525 cards across 4 print runs over 1909-1911. Honus Wagner T206 is the most famous card in the hobby.
T206 print runs and back ads
T206 cards have 16 back ad variations. Back ad determines value:
- Piedmont (most common, ~50% of cards)
- Sweet Caporal (next, ~30%)
- American Beauty, Old Mill, Polar Bear (scarcer, 1.5-3× Piedmont)
- Lenox, Drum, Carolina Brights, Cycle (ultra-scarce, 5-30× Piedmont)
- Hindu Brown (rarest back, $20K+ even on commons)
Identify back ad first — it sets the floor.
Common defects
T206 cards are 110+ years old. Common defects:
- Paper toning (light brown patina, NOT penalized severely)
- Wax stains (factory wrapper bleed, lenient on grade)
- Soft corners (era-typical, vintage tolerances apply)
- Stains and ink dots
- Trimming (heavily penalized, common in restoration era 1980s-1990s)
Grading approach
SGC dominates T206 grading. PSA secondary. Avoid BGS/CGC for T206 — sub-grade calibration too modern. Submit to SGC unless customer specifically wants PSA cross.
Where this fits in the X3 empire
Used in vintage Concierge for any pre-war cigarette card submission.
