Great thread....T206 are smart to pick up....one of the most collected sets ever! top 3 collected I would say...
I have been collecting them for almost 25 years now.....as most know here, I love the printers scraps, rare backs, and freaks...especially the scraps...
my observations recently:
mainstream:
1) Green Cobb- absolutely white hot!
the last year, they have been insane! still showing no signs of a slow down..... greens have become the "poor man's Wagner" of the set as of late.....absolutely amazing....I see no slow down in the near future....even beaters are brining crazy prices
2) the other 3 cobbs( red, bat on, bat off): always a great investment...they are like cardboard cash
3) HOFERS- the legends bring strong prices and are rising( Young, Matty, Wojo, ect) the other HOFers- stabile.....great condition ones are the way to go
4) Rare backs- always in demand.....especially brown hindu and up...
5) the big 4 (magie, plank, Wagner, Doyle)- if you are lucky enough to own a true piece of history....always a sure bet.....even the beaters...
"fringe and alternative collecting":
these are very subjective......the market is "thin" on these....but can take huge swings and are volatile....
they deserve a thread of their own.....Paul could comment on the auto side
1) scraps/miscuts/freaks/missing reds/missing inks/ "tweener scrap"/overprints/underprints/caption errors/ghosts/2 namers/sheet numbered/print marks/ proofs/ upside down backs/etc. -
these , in general, have seen softer prices lately.....many factors and variables to attest to this....not all have been soft, some have become impossible to aquire and command crazy prices....some are rising, some are falling.....I will try to start a thread tom about it...
2) autos- always "touch and go" .......same as the cards mentioned above.....paul can elaborate more