Monster Monday

Hey Arn, how many new T206s did I acquire?

My favorite vintage dealer, Roger, was set up last weekend at a show about ten minutes from my house.  When I saw him over Labor Day weekend he told me that he's picked up some lower grade T206s recently but had forgotten them.  He promised to bring them next time, and did.  I was hoping for lower grade (and lower prices) but still left with four new cards for my collection.

1909-11 The American Tobacco Company T206 White Border #NNO Cy Barger 

• Per T206 Insider this card ranks 241 (of 524) in scarcity.  The back is 36th of 36 in scarcity.
• According to "The T206 Collection: The Players & Their Stories," "Eros "Cy" Barger attended Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky before his baseball days.  Barger was a right-handed pitcher, utility infielder and outfielder in the majors.  He has no decisions in the American League, but won 15 games in 1919 and 11 games in 1911 for Brooklyn.  He won a total of 19 games over two years with the Rebels.  Barger played nine seasons in the minors around his three stints in the majors.  In 1909, he went 23-13 for the Rochester Bronchos in the Eastern League, earning another shot at the big leagues.  He was player/manager for the Memphis Chickasaws of the Southern Association from 1917 through 1919.  He wrapped up his playing career in 1919 with a 115-79 minor league pitching record.  Barger returned to the game in 1921 to manager the St. Petersburg Saints in the Florida State League for one season.?

1909-11 The American Tobacco Company T206 White Border #NNO Fielder Jones (Hands on Hips)

•  Per T206 Insider this card ranks 139 in scarcity.  The back rank is 30 of 26th in scarcity.
•  From "The T206 Collection," "A fine ballplayer and manager, Fielder Jones player with pennant winners Brooklyn (1899, 1900) and Chicago (1901).  There was no World Series in 1899 or 1901, but in 1900 Brooklyn took the win.  Jones had a 70-game in reaching base at least once, and he hit over .300 six times.  He batted .354 in 1896, but as a part-time player.  His best year was 1901, when he batted .321.  Considered one of the most intelligent managers of all-time, Jones is known for leading the 'Hitless Wonders' White Sox to the 1906 World Series championship solely on pitching, defense and baserunning.  The team batting average was .230.  After his stint with the White Sox, he coached for Oregon State University and served as President of the Northwestern League from 1912 to 1914.  He then managed the St. Louis Terriers and the St. Louis Browns before retiring to go into the lumber business in Oregon." 

1909-11 The American Tobacco Company T206 White Border #NNO Art Kruger

• Art Kruger ranks 230th in scarcity and the back ranks 32nd in scarcity.
• From "The T206 Collection," "After four years with the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League, Art Kruger launched his MLB career with the Reds.  In 1907 he batted a paltry .232 and was promptly sent back down to the minors.  He played two seasons for the Columbus Senators in the American Association, batting .290 in 1909, and was again promoted to the big leagues.  After playing only 16 games split between the Naps and the Doves, Kruger was sent back down to the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League.  He has several good seasons there, hitting as high as .299 in 1912.  The 1914 season found Kruger back in the majors, playing for Kansas City in the Federal League, where he batter .259 with 114 hits, 47 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 441 at-bats, his best season by far.  After the 1915 season, he finally called it quits when he was 34 years old."

1909-11 The American Tobacco Company T206 White Border #NNO Ira Thomas

• Ira Thomas is 84th in scarcity per T206 Insider and the back is 36th (most common).
• From "The T206 Collection," At 6 feet 2 inches Ira Thomas was not your typical catcher, but he caught 450 MLB games over ten season, seven under Connie Mack in Philadelphia.  As team captain and catcher for the A's, he won four pennants and three World Series, but only caught as many as 100 games once, in 1911.  Thomas hit .273 that season, slugged .340, collected 150 assists behind the plate and finished eighth in American League MVP voting.  After his playing days, he coached for the A's and was owner/manager of the Texas League's Shreveport Gassers in 1923 and 1924.  In 1925, Thomas found his niche as chief scout for the A's, discovering Lefty Grove and Al Simmons, among others.  He scouted for the A's until he moved back east to scout for the Yankees at age 75 in 1956.

Adding these four card to my collection has me up to 20 cards from the T206 set.  If you're interested, you can see the 20 cards here.

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back from purchases there.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $100 in about seven months.  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!