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.

Roanoke's Shag Shaughnessy was the Crash Davis of his era, playing 20 seasons in the pros, but playing only nine games in parts of two seasons in The Show. Records indicate that Shaughnessy could hit, batting as high as .327 with Roanoke in 1911, but was also somewhat of a Renaissance man. At different points in his life he was a practicing lawyer, a football coach, the owner of a cigar store, and the business manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey Association. His portrait here is in front of a gorgeous green background while his black collar is popped up, exposing the rest of his crisp white uniform. Centering looks very nice, as do the corners and edges for the grade, with just a small blemish on the right border causing some concern. The Old Mill (SL) back is crisp and mostly clean, with some light soiling along the sides. If ever there was an example of "buy the card, not the grade," this is it.

Among the more popular subsets in the T206 issue, Southern League (SL) cards are lauded for their scarcity. The cards of 48 players from the Southern Association, the South Atlantic League, the Texas League, and the Virginia State League were printed in total. These cards were printed separately from the rest of the T206 cards, resulting in a shorter supply than other T206s, and creating a high demand among collectors.