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.

Norfolk's William Otey wears his crisp white uniform with a black collar folded down in front of a brilliantly bright yellow to orange gradient background. The corners and edges are far nicer than the card's grade would suggest, and the white borders are clean with great centering. Registration is a bit off, especially in Otey's face, which helps explain the grade a bit, but the details on the reverse explain it further. The printing of the text on the Old Mill (SL) back is crisp and clean, but it is so far east on the canvas that the right edge got cut off. There is also a number "60" written in pencil in the upper right corner, which definitely contributes to the card's grade being lower than the condition of the front would lead you to believe. If there is an example of "buy the card, not the grade," this is it.

Among the more popular subsets in the T206 issue, Southern League (SL) cards are lauded for their scarcity. The cards of 48 players from the Southern Association, the South Atlantic League, the Texas League, and the Virginia State League were printed in total. These cards were printed separately from the rest of the T206 cards, resulting in a shorter supply than other T206s, and creating a high demand among collectors.