Washington T206 Mini-Set Comparison to High-Grade Competitor

[GeoPoto]

Card 19: Frank R. "Flossie" Oberlin. Pitcher with the Washington Senators in 1907 and 1909-1910. 5 wins and 227 innings pitched in 4 MLB seasons. He debuted with the Boston Americans in 1906-1907.

Frank Oberlin Sweet Caporal 350-30: Oberlin T206 cards are fairly common (PSA-537). PSA has graded fifteen Oberlin T206 cards at PSA 7 and two at PSA 8. The OberlinT206 card is in Print Group 2.

Heritage/Rounders Entry: Here is another H/R card graded PSA 7 that delivers a clear image, with clean surfaces and strong edges and borders. The card is centered well, maybe a little high. The left-to-right borders, though well centered, are tight. The back is centered well with moderate fading.

My Entry: My card, which is graded PSA 7, presents a good image, with moderate surface wear, decent edges, and modest rounding at the corners. The card is centered high right. Overall, the borders are okay. The back is off center with considerable fading. The back reveals a crease of the upper right corner (looking at the card's front), which is faintly visible.

Comparison: The H/R card presents a better image with a cleaner surface. The two cards compare favorably with respect to edges and corners, with the edge going to the H/R card. The H/R card has better centering, but also tighter borders. The H/R card has the more attractive back by a considerable margin. My card also has a crease.

My conclusion: I like the H/R card better in most ways. The borders are the usual problem: To the extent that my card shows larger borders are possible, why settle for an attractive card with tight borders. I would rather continue to look. My card has serious deficiencies though that I would like to improve.

The bottom line: If we ignore resale value, I could trade my card for the H/R card. I probably wouldn't, but I could live with it. Either way, I would be hoping to upgrade as soon as I can find one with stronger borders.

Additional Frank Oberlin Fun Fact: He lost the index finger on his pitching hand to a buzz saw, but apparently pitched better as a result, once it healed.

Overall Results Update: My Cards -- 14; H/R cards -- 2; with 3 Ties.