The first series of cards in the T206 set were issued beginning in
1909 in cigarette and loose tobacco packs through 16 different brands
owned by the American Tobacco Company. It is a landmark set in the
history of baseball card collecting due to its size and rarity, with
cards of over 500 major and minor-league players issued in the set
through 1911. It is known informally as the "White Border" set due to
the
distinctive white borders surrounding the quality color lithographs on
each card.
The colors and cleanliness of this Miller Huggins example just jump off
the card. Posing with his hands cupped at his mouth, yelling to his
teammates, Huggins is depicted here in his bold dark blue uniform with a
red belt and CINCINNATI in red across his chest. The gradient
background transitions from light orange at the top, to a deeper orange
at the bottom. Centering is nearly perfect, if not just a touch east on the canvas, with nice corners and terrific edges. The green text of the tough Sovereign back is dark and bold. Centering on the reverse is far west on the canvas, keeping this card from grading even higher than it already has.
SGC has only ever graded 26 total
examples of this T206 with a Sovereign back, with only ONE receiving a
higher grade than the EX 5 offered here of Hall of Famer Miller Huggins with his hands at his mouth.