The T206 set is, of course, the most widely collected of all prewar card issues, with good reason: there is no shortage of different ways to collect the cards. In the case of a small but powerful group we are proud to feature in this auction, one collector focused less on the content of the cards, and more on the cards themselves. Concerned with what many feel is an epidemic of card alteration in the hobby, our consignor looked for cards with exceptionally wide borders, an indication that the card edges and corners were natural, and not subject to trimming. We are thrilled to present them here, a fascinating grouping of cards with an unusual appearance, including many of the issue's key cards.
There are three different Cy Young poses
in the T206 set. This one depicts the legendary pitcher at the end of
his motion, with his bare hand showing after releasing the baseball. It
is the rarest of the three offerings of the Hall of Famer in the T206
set. This example retains its bright background colors, giving some pop
to the image which counteracts Young's gray uniform. Centering is west and far south on the canvas, leaving a huge top border and unfortunately cutting off the bottom part of the text under his image. Corners and edges are consistent with the grade, with only some light soiling around the edges appearing. The Piedmont back is pleasantly clean, with a pinpoint stain near the center.