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.
One of the horizontal cards from the set, this issue features Philadelphia's Danny Murphy throwing in front of a blue sky and green grass background. At a glance, it sometimes appears as if the cotton candy clouds are actually bits of paper loss, but they, indeed, appear exactly as they are intended to on the card, with no damage. This example, however, does exhibit some snow and light color loss in some other areas of the canvas, which is centered to the west when viewing it horizontally. Corners and edges are consistent with the grade. The printing on the Piedmont back is vertical, as the others, and while it is dark and bold, it is also west on the canvas. Absolutely tremendous eye appeal on this one.