By Amar Shah
Eminem and Rihanna weren't talking about this Monster in their famed song. This Monster is the T206 baseball card set, a vintage tobacco series from over 100 years ago that has tantalized generations of collectors.
The T206 Monster is the most famous sports card set in history. These miniature lithographic portraits are considered pieces of art, and their history is revered. They were produced between 1909 and 1911 by the American Tobacco Company. This 524-card set includes more than 70 cards depicting 38 different Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, and, of course, the Mona Lisa of baseball cards, the Honus Wagner. Additionally, the set features 16 recognized advertising backs from various tobacco and cigarette brands, some of which have series and color variations of their own, making the set virtually impossible to complete. Some collectors estimate there are approximately 6,000 different cards produced when the various front and back combinations are tallied.
For collectors like Jason, completing a set—albeit a specific version—has been a lifelong mission.
"My obsession was to have the most ridiculous binder set based on backs," Jason said.
A binder set refers to storing the cards in ungraded condition in plastic pocket pages that can be flipped through for viewing. It’s a popular way of collecting large sets - especially T206 - in a manner that is conducive to viewing the cards and storing it in a more size-conscious manner compared to 500+ plastic slabs.
"I essentially wanted to have the collection of a kid who knew about [rare advertising] backs back in the day but still played with them."
A sampling of some of the cards from Jason's T206 set, including the Home Run Baker that features a rare Broad Leaf 460 back (upper right corner), one of only three examples of this front/back combination graded by PSA
Growing up in Kansas in the mid-1980s, Jason's passion for collecting T206 baseball cards began when most kids were content with the common cards of that era.
"When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I was getting all the junk wax and stumbled across this tiny baseball card that looked like a piece of artwork to me," Jason reminisced. "I remember thinking that I'd rather have these cool cards than a box of '92 Hoops."
Like many collectors, Jason's interest waned as he grew older, only to be rekindled with the advent of eBay.
"In 2005 or 2006, I started to get back into it. And then I got obsessed with the backs."
The T206 set is one of the most accessible sets to collect, yet the backs add a new layer of complexity. Jason's interest grew as he discovered more about the various backs, from the standard and common Piedmont to Sweet Caporal and the rare Drum and Uzit.
Jason's quest evolved into creating the ultimate binder set, meticulously organized by back variations. Each page of his binder featured 20 cards, aiming to include as many rare backs as possible.
"I was chasing backs like Drum, Red Hindu, and Lennox. My goal was to get a page with a Drum, Red Hindu, Uzit, Atlantic, Carolina Bright, and Broadleaf."
Jason's pursuit of rare T206 cards is filled with memorable moments, such as missing out on winning a Red Hindu Hal Chase card.
"I remember missing it on eBay by seconds," Jason said. "This is a serious card—the blue Hal Chase portrait with a Red Hindu back. It went for about 700 bucks, and now it's probably a $5,000 card. Wow."
The collection included several T206s with rare Drum 350 advertising backs, one of the five rarest backs in the expansive series
Jason's dedication was unwavering. He recalled a time when he drove through a severe Michigan blizzard to acquire a card.
"I remember getting up at 4:30 in the morning and driving through the worst blizzard of all time to pick up this card. It was like four hours away."
Jason's collection includes miscuts, double prints, anomalies, and ghost stamps, adding to its uniqueness. One such variant includes a very rare "Lash's Bitters" overprint on the back.
"They have these really crazy overprints on the back from the printing press."
Jason is consigning his meticulously curated binder to REA as part of its Summer Catalog Auction that runs from July 23 to August 11. This includes dozens of T206 cards along with a few T213 Coupon Cigarettes and T215 Red Cross Tobacco cards, one of which - the Dots Miller - is the only SGC-graded example.
"I've been working on this for 20 years. The chase was really what was fun about this. The cards are awesome, but the chase and buying them was the best part," Jason said.
Rare backs, including Drum, Uzit, Red Hindu, Carolina Brights and Black Lenox, make up a large contingent of Jason's collection
He’s already started his next venture.
"I stumbled on a collection that had all the borders cut off,” Jason said. “I got a hold of about 100 of them from the original estate. Now, I'm obsessed with the front. So now I'm looking for all of these because they're beautiful. All the colors are gorgeous, bright blues and reds, as well as oranges and greens. I'm just on to the next T206 thing."
Indeed, Jason continues to befriend the Monster under his bed.
Amar Shah is a multiple Emmy-winning writer and producer who has written for ESPN.com, NFL.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Orlando Sentinel, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Slam Magazine and The Washington Post. In the 90s, Amar was a teen sports reporter and got to hang out with the Chicago Bulls during their golden era. He even landed on the cover for Sports Illustrated for Kids with Shaquille O’Neal. His debut novel "The Hoop Con" is now available with Scholastic. You can order it here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hoop-con-amar-shah/1143287376?ean=9781338840315