The Monster Podcast

Jay and Justin have a fascinating conversation with award-winning sportscaster, newsman, consummate card collector and baseball historian Keith Olbermann about his early days of collecting in the 1970s, the stories behind the elusive Honus Wagner and other T206 ultra-rarities, collecting during the COVID boom and more.

Jay and Justin chat with Luke Lyon of ThatT206Life.com about his collection's origin story, how to find hidden gems in the T206 set, collecting advertising backs, buying what brings you joy, trends in the hobby, and more.

Some recommended reading:

http://www.thatt206life.com/

In this installment, Jay and Justin discuss how to spot reprints, fakes, and altered T206 cards and avoid getting burned. There's also a short conversation about the future of T206 collecting.

Jay and Justin welcome special guest Paul Mifsud of SignedT206.com for a fascinating discussion about collecting autographed T206s, including their history, rarity, value and how to spot authentics and fakes.

Recommended resources:

Web: www.SignedT206.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/SignedT206

(Producer's note: This episode was recorded via Skype during the COVID-19 quarantine).

Jay and Justin welcome former MLB pitcher Dean Kiekhefer (Cardinals, A's) for a fun discussion about his time in the big leagues and his quest to amass the ugliest T206 sets ever with his "beater binder" project.

(Producer's note: This episode was recorded via Skype during the COVID-19 quarantine).

Jay and Justin discuss the benefits and drawbacks of grading companies' population reports and how to use them to guide decisions about collecting T206s.

(Producer's note: This episode was recorded via Skype during the COVID-19 quarantine).

Some recommended reading:

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/pop-report-comparisons-of-pre-war-and-post-war-vintage/

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/while-helpful-population-reports-have-limitations/

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/t206-hall-of-famers/

PSA Population Report for T206s: https://www.psacard.com/pop/t206/ &

https://www.psacard.com/pop/t206/?byback=1&pf=0

SGC Population Report for T206s:

https://gosgc.com/pop-report

Scot Reader's "Inside T206: A Collector’s Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set": http://www.oldcardboard.com/t/t206/InsideT206-Centennial-edition.pdf

Jay and Justin discuss collecting in the COVID-19 era and take a deep dive into the Big 4 (including the elusive Honus Wagner treasure) and the other limited run cards (aka "short prints") in the T206 set.

(Editor's note: This episode was recorded via Skype during the COVID-19 quarantine).

Some recommended reading:

Scot Reader's "Inside T206: A Collector’s Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set": http://www.oldcardboard.com/t/t206/InsideT206-Centennial-edition.pdf

http://t206resource.com/The%20Big%20Four.html

http://www.thatt206life.com/2019/10/26/gettysburg-eddie-plank-and-his-t206-rarity-a-110-year-old-puzzle-solved/

https://prewarcards.com/2018/04/20/what-if-the-honus-wagner-t206-wasnt-a-short-print/

Jay and Justin cover the basics on what the different advertising backs on the reverse of T206 cards are all about, and why collectors care.

Jay's back ranking from the episode is as follows:

T206 BACK SCARCITY RANKING

B.S. TIER

Old Mill brown

Lenox brown

Blank back

Ty Cobb

SUPER TOUGH TIER

Broad Leaf 460

Drum

Uzit

Lenox black

Broad Leaf 350

Red Hindu

Carolina Brights

TOP TIER

American Beauty 460


Brown Hindu


Cycle 460


Piedmont 350-460 factory 42

TOUGH TIER

American Beauty 350 frame

American Beauty 350 no frame

Cycle 350

EPDG

Tolstoi

PLUS BACKS

Old Mill (plus Southern variation)

Polar Bear

Sovereign 150

Sovereign 350 series apple green

Sovereign 350 series forest green

Sovereign 460

SWEET CAPORAL FACTORY VARIATIONS

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 649 overprint

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 25

Sweet Caporal 350 factory 25

Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 25

Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 42

Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 42 scroll

COMMONS

Piedmont 150 factory 25

Piedmont 350 factory 25

Piedmont 350-460 factory 25

Sweet Caporal 350-460 factory 30

Sweet Caporal 150 factory 30

Sweet Caporal 350 factory 30

Jay and Justin present a blueprint for building the complete T206 set on a budget.

Jay and Justin sit down with the Library of Congress's Peter Devereaux for a conversation about the T206s featured in his new book, GAME FACES: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress. The book features rare and colorful baseball cards from the Library of Congress's Benjamin K. Edwards Collection, bringing to life an era of American history that saw the game explode in popularity.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Faces-Baseball-Library-Congress/dp/158834634X

SMITHSONIAN: https://www.smithsonianbooks.com/store/history/game-faces-early-baseball-cards-library-congress/