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.

Hall of Famer Big Ed Walsh sits in front of a seafoam green background in this T206 portrait. Centering is very nice on this one, with corners and edges consistent to the grade. The (MK) qualifier is usually very easy to spot, but on this card it took some time, which means this card presents much nicer than the grade. It appears as if a faint "0" to the right of the text at the bottom of the front is what triggered that qualifier, as there is no other clear reason on the front, nor is there one on the gorgeous Sweet Cap back. The white CHICAGO on Walsh's uniform being slightly toned with hints of blue is a printing issue across the set for this particular card, and not an error on this individual copy of it, however some light snow may have also kept this one from grading even higher. Nevertheless, there is massive eye appeal here for the Hall of Famer.