[Steve D]

I bought my first T206 (3 actually) back in the late 1970s. At a small monthly card show in San Diego CA, I bought a Keeler batting, Bresnahan batting, and M. Brown pitching (Chicago shirt) for $10 total. Over the next ~5-6 years, I picked up all the HOFers of the time, along with the rare cards of Demmitt, Dahlen, Kleinow, Smith, Elberfeld, G Brown, Lundgren, and some tougher backs including a C Brights and a Hindu SL. The Demmitt was actually a trade I made. I was also collecting 1953 Topps at the same time as the t206s. I had put together the complete set of 1953 Topps baseball. At a card show in San Diego, I traded the 1953 set to Kit Young, for the Demmitt StL and a 1954 Bowman Ted Williams.

I never collected T206s beyond the above. Then in 1991, I sold all of them when I returned to the US after spending two years stationed in Germany with the US Air Force (I had joined the Air Force in 1985).

In August 2003, the spark was re-ignited, and I bought a T206 Cobb red background raw off ebay (from Frank and Vivian Barning, for the old-timers on the boards). Over the next four years, I picked up all the HOFers, the last one being a Lajoie throwing in May 2007. All were bought from ebay.

At that point, I concentrated on cards of the Cubs and Giants. I still wasn't completely sold on collecting the set, but The Monster was laughing at me, and unbeknownst to me, was luring me in to his realm.

Then around June of 2008, The Monster really attacked, and I was hooked! I began picking up the rest of the set in earnest. Interestingly, this was at the same time that I retired from the military.

By August 2012, I still had not bought any Southern Leaguers, except for Dolly Stark, who played for San Antonio (where I retired to). The only rarer card I had up to this point was the Kleinow Boston. This is a good story. In July 2008, I was searching ebay, and I came across a listing for the Kleinow. The listing was for the Kleinow NY (which I didn't have). When I looked at the card though, it was clearly the Kleinow Boston (which I also needed). The flip was wrong, and the seller didn't notice it. No one else noticed the discrepancy, and I got the card for $64.50 in PSA 4.

Back to the SLers. My Stark is an Old Mill (SL) back. It was at this point (August 2012) that I entered the home stretch, and began collecting the Southern Leaguers (all Old Mill-SL backs).

After getting around half the SLers, I started getting the rarer cards, starting with Elberfeld.

At the beginning of August 2013, I was sitting at 492 T206s (20 SLers, Demmitt and O'Hara StL, and six commons). At the 2013 National Convention, I got an SGC 1 Demmitt StL from Rick Probstein, and crossed it over to a PSA 1. I also got a G Brown Washington and seven SLers from Scott Forest, and two commons at the show.

Later in August, I won 11 cards, including 10 SLers, from PWCC on ebay. This put me at 514 cards.

Over the next two months, I picked up the last two commons and three SLers I needed. This brings me to November 2013, and I'm sitting at 519 cards.

When I bought the Demmitt StL from Rick P at the National, he also had an SGC 1 O'Hara StL. I only had the money to get one of the two cards, so I had to pass on the O'Hara. Well, in November (three months after the National, what shows up on ebay, but Rick's O'Hara. I knew I had to get it, and I did. I later crossed it over to a PSA 1.

Another story.....Back in either 2003 or 2004, a Plank PSA 1 showed up on ebay, from a dealer in Pennsylvania. I was the underbidder on it at $16,100. I still to this day, kick myself in the butt for not getting it. It was the only time in my life I've ever had anywhere near the money available at the time a Plank was available. Hopefully one of these days, I'll be able to get one. I'm not really interested in the Doyle NY Natl or Magie, and I know I'll never be able to get a Wagner unless I win Powerball first, but a Plank does seem remotely possible.

Since getting the O'Hara, I've been working on the backs. I currently still need a Broadleaf, Carolina Brights, Drum, Lenox and Uzit to finish the run.

Here's the grade breakdown of my set:

PSA 5 - 6 cards (inc. F Clarke, E Collins, M Huggins, J McGraw)
PSA 4.5 - 31 cards
PSA 4 - 426 cards
PSA 3.5 - 9 cards
PSA 3 - 35 cards
PSA 2.5 - 3 cards
PSA 2 - 8 cards
PSA 1 - 2 cards (Demmitt and O'Hara StL)

So, that's the story of my T206 journey, from the age of ~16, to 53.

Steve