Quite underrated due to a shortage of star power, the T207 issue of 1912
is one of the most fascinating of all prewar tobacco issues. With
varying levels of scarcity, a number of tough individual rarities,
difficult front/back combinations and a condition-sensitive gloss on the
card fronts, assembling a strong T207 set is quite a collecting
challenge.
This example features a smiling portrait of Philadelphia's Charles "Red" Dooin. Centering is just slightly north and east on the canvas with great edges. The top two corners are fantastic, with the bottom two having very minor imperfections which keep this card from grading even higher than it already has. The printing on the Recruit Little Cigars back is dark and bold, with only some light soiling on the reverse. This is an extraordinary example seldom seen with this sort of visual appeal.
SGC
has only ever graded 86 total examples of this T207 with a Recruit
Little Cigars back, with only five receiving a higher grade than the EX+
5.5 offered here of Philadelphia's Charles "Red" Dooin.