The landmark T206 set, as named by Jefferson Burdick in The American
Card Catalog, is also informally as the "White Border" set due to the
distinctive white borders surrounding the lithographs on each card. From
1909 to 1911, cards of over 500 major and minor-league players were
issued in 16 different cigarette brands owned by the American Tobacco
Company. The T206 set is one of the most popular and widely collected
set of the tobacco/pre-war era.
Sharp corners and beautiful colors are the headlines on this gorgeous example featuring Sox pitcher "Ed" Cicotte. The action shot shows the knuckleballer at the end of his motion, seemingly throwing in a prairie with trees and rolling hills in the distance. Cicotte's white pants, uniform, and cap imply innocence, but baseball historians know Eddie and Innocent don't belong in the same sentence. The centering is just slightly west on the canvas, with very light staining at the top center and bottom left corner of otherwise beautifully bright white borders.
Tobacco stains in the top left and bottom right corners of the back are its only blemishes, while the Piedmont logo and back text remain a strong, dark blue. This card has insane eye appeal, front and back. PSA has
only ever graded 104 total examples of this Piedmont 150 back version of the
Cicotte, with
only SIX receiving a
higher grade than the EX+ 5.5 offered here.
While most people rightly associate Edgar Victor "Eddie" Cicotte
with the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, 1917 was probably the better year for the right hander. He led the league in Wins (28), ERA (1.53), Innings Pitched (346.2), Batters Faced (1,287), ERA+ (174), and WHIP (0.912). More importantly, he won a game in the World Series, helping the White Sox actually win the 1917 title over the New York Giants. Had his career not been cut short due to his banishment, he likely would have ended up with a pretty strong case for Cooperstown.