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.

There are two different Fred Merkle cards included in the T206 set which are equally rare. One depicts the young First Baseman after finishing his throwing motion in the field, and this version is his portrait in front of a deep red background. At first glance, the eye appeal of this card does not line up with the technical grade. Centering is wonderful, corners and edges are nice, and the colors are bold and brilliant. There is some light edge chipping at the bottom and along the left, and some small streaks of color loss toward the right border, but those are minor flaws when the rest of the front looks so strong. The explanation comes on the tough Sovereign reverse, where two large soil spots - one on the left side and one on the right, level with each other just above the height of the card's center - are prominent. While these spots do not affect the front of the card, they certainly affect the grade. However, the scarcity of this issue far outweighs any perceived cosmetic flaws.  A very tough example of one of baseball's most tragic figures.

SGC has only ever graded 14 total examples of this T206 with a Sovereign back, with only nine receiving a higher grade than the Fair 1.5 offered here of the portrait of New York's Fred Merkle.