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 Rube Waddell cards included in the T206 set. One is a portrait of the Hall of Famer in front of a blue background, while this version depicts the St. Louis pitcher in his throwing pose against an absolutely phenomenal looking pastel background. Centering is a hair north on the canvas, with seemingly slightly wider side borders than normal. The colors on the canvas here are brilliant, with Waddell's action pose giving this card absolutely phenomenal eye appeal. Unfortunately, a large crease in the top right corner and a smaller crease in the bottom right keep it from grading as high as it otherwise would have. The edges are very nice, with only some light marks along the right side. The green text on the tough Sovereign back is dark and bold, with some faint smudging on the reverse.

PSA has only ever graded 15 total examples of this T206 with a Sovereign back, with only ten receiving a higher grade than the Fair 1.5 offered here of Hall of Famer Rube Waddell throwing.