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.

With respect to the T206 Cy Young Portrait card, we often refer to the observation of a longtime collector friend who described the card as "looking like it belongs above a fireplace mantel, rather than in a card collection."  Such is the aesthetic beauty of the image, picturing the veteran hurler near the end of his career, yet looking youthful and stately in the image, which is derived from a Horner portrait photo from at least six years earlier. 

Centering on this example is north on the canvas, with edges consistent to the grade. A few of the corners have some softness, particularly the bottom right, which - along with some light tobacco staining around the perimeter - holds the card back from achieving an even higher grade than it already has. The Piedmont back is bold and clean, leaving each side of this card with tremendous eye appeal.