The tobacco card

Cigarette card

Cigarette cards are trade cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands.-History:Beginning in 1875, cards depicting actresses, baseball players, Indian chiefs, and boxers were issued by the US-based Allen and Ginter tobacco company. These are...

 set known as T205 was issued in 1911 in cigarette

Cigarette

A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

 and loose tobacco packs through 11 different brands owned by the American Tobacco Company

American Tobacco Company

The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...

. It is a landmark set in the history of baseball card

Baseball card

A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on some type of paper stock or card stock. A card will usually feature one or more baseball players or other baseball-related sports figures...

 collecting.

History

The name T205 refers to the catalog designation assigned by Jefferson Burdick

Jefferson Burdick

Jefferson R. Burdick was a trading and baseball card collector and cataloguer. He cataloged trading and baseball cards in The American Card Catalog, otherwise known as the ACC, which is still used today by collectors and dealers. The famed T206 baseball card set received its popularized name...

 in his book The American Card Catalog

The American Card Catalog

The American Card Catalog is a reference book for American trade cards produced before 1951, compiled by Jefferson Burdick.It has become the de facto method in identifying and organizing trade cards produced in the Americas pre-1951. The book catalogues sports and non-sports cards, but is best...

. It is also known informally as the "Gold Borders" set due to the distinctive gold borders surrounding the lithographs on each card.

The T205 set consists of 220 cards, which includes many variations and short prints. The set consists of three different leagues: the American, National, and Minor Leaguers. The American League can be identified by the baseball diamond surrounding the portrait of the player sporting their team logo near the top. The National League displays a simple colored background with the first-ever use of a facsimile autograph of the player. Minor Leaguers

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 are made up of 12 cards printed with noticeably different and more detailed borders. The cards measure 1-7/16" x 2-5/8" which is considered by many collectors to be the standard tobacco card size.

The T205 set is one of the most popular sets of the tobacco/pre-war era, second only to T206

T206

The tobacco card set known as T206 was issued from 1909 to 1911 in cigarette and loose tobacco packs through 16 different brands owned by the American Tobacco Company...

. The large number of variations, number of stars, and colorful artwork give it enormous appeal to collectors. There are 27 Baseball Hall of Fame members in the set (in alphabetical order): Home Run Baker, Chief Bender

Chief Bender

Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was a pitcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century...

, Roger Bresnahan

Roger Bresnahan

Roger Philip Bresnahan , nicknamed "The Duke of Tralee" for his Irish roots, was an American player in Major League Baseball who starred primarily as a catcher and a player-manager...

, Mordecai Brown

Mordecai Brown

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown , nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand and eventually acquired his nickname as a result...

, Frank Chance

Frank Chance

Frank Leroy Chance was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. Performing the roles of first baseman and manager, Chance led the Chicago Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years and earned the nickname "The Peerless Leader".Chance was elected to...

, Fred Clarke

Fred Clarke

Fred Clifford Clarke was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise...

, Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb

Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...

, Eddie Collins

Eddie Collins

Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. , nicknamed "Cocky", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman, manager and executive...

, Hugh Duffy

Hugh Duffy

Hugh Duffy was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.-Career:...

, Johnny Evers

Johnny Evers

John Joseph Evers was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946...

, Clark Griffith

Clark Griffith

Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...

, Miller Huggins

Miller Huggins

Miller James Huggins , nicknamed "Mighty Mite", was a baseball player and manager. He managed the powerhouse New York Yankee teams of the 1920s and won six American League pennants and three World Series championships....

, Hughie Jennings

Hughie Jennings

Hugh Ambrose Jennings was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had...

, Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson

Walter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...

, Addie Joss

Addie Joss

Adrian Joss was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire nine-year baseball career for the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps .-Early life:...

, Rube Marquard

Rube Marquard

Richard William "Rube" Marquard was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1910s and early 1920s...

, Christy Mathewson

Christy Mathewson

Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...

, John McGraw

John McGraw

John McGraw may refer to:* John McGraw , , New York lumber tycoon, and one of the founding trustees of Cornell University* John McGraw , , Governor of Washington state from 1893–1897...

, Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker

Tristram E. Speaker , nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 , and still holds the record of 792 career doubles...

, Joe Tinker

Joe Tinker

Joseph Bert Tinker was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He is best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs dynasty which won four pennants between 1906 and 1910; and for his feud with double play partner Johnny Evers. Tinker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in...

, Bobby Wallace

Bobby Wallace (baseball)

Rhoderick John "Bobby" Wallace was a Major League Baseball pitcher, infielder, manager, umpire and scout....

, Zack Wheat

Zack Wheat

Wheat played his first full season in . He played every game for the Superbas that season as the regular left fielder, leading the league in games played. He batted .284 that season, the second-lowest average of his career, which led the team, and was among the league leaders in hits, doubles, and...

, Cy Young

Cy Young

Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...

.

With a little effort the set can be completed minus the most difficult card to obtain, the elusive Hoblitzell no stats.

Tobacco Brands that Produced T205 Cards

T205 cards were issued with 17 different backs, representing the 11 different brands of cigarettes/tobacco with which the cards were issued. Due to the same card having different backs, there are actually far more than 220 "different" T205 cards.

The 17 backs are:

• American Beauty Black
• American Beauty Green
• Broad Leaf Black
• Broad Leaf Green
• Cycle
• Drum
• Hassan Factory 30
• Hassan Factory 649
• Hindu
• Honest Long Cut
• Piedmont Factory 25
• Piedmont Factory 42
• Polar Bear
• Sovereign
• Sweet Caporal Factory 25 Black
• Sweet Caporal Factory 42 Black
• Sweet Caporal Red

New Error Discovered:

The sports memorabilia community recently discovered an uncorrected error on Cycle brand cards of Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson

Christy Mathewson

Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...

. While his pitching record should (and typically does) read 37-11, on Cycle cards it is listed as 37-1. While it is difficult to determine rarity and value due to a lack of market data, the card is expected to be more common and less expensive than the Hoblitzell no-stats variation.

External Links/Resources

• T205.org T205 Checklists, valuation/appraisal calculator, galleries, links, downloads and more.
• Complete Set Gallery on flickr
• "Virtual collection" of T205 cards