T206 Boston Braves team set

The 1909 to 1911 T206 baseball card set has long been considered one of the most, if not the most, important issues in the entire hobby. The visual appeal of the cards, the immense size of the set, and the incredible player selection make this treasure a collector favorite. Along with the 1933 Goudey and 1952 Topps sets, the classic T206 set is one of “The Big Three” in the world of baseball cards.

You can easily make the argument that “The Monster,” as it is commonly referred to, is truly the pinnacle of all trading cards sets. It is much larger than the 1933 Goudey set, requiring more than twice the amount of cards to complete. It is also arguably more visually appealing than the 1952 Topps set due to the superb artwork used in the design.

Furthermore, the 524-card T206 set is home to the most valuable trading card in the world, the card that has become the symbol of the hobby itself. Of course, I am referring to the Mona Lisa of trading cards . . . the T206 Honus Wagner. The Wagner card shares the limelight with 75 other cards featuring members of baseball’s Hall of Fame, but it is worth more than the other 523 cards combined, assuming they are in the same condition. At the time of this writing (2009), the highest price ever paid for any trading card was $2.8 million, a Wagner example that was graded NM-MT 8 by Professional Sports Authenticator, the leading third-party authentication and grading service.

The longest continuously operating franchise, the Atlanta Braves were once based in Milwaukee and Boston in prior decades.  During the time period of the T206 set (1909-1911) the Braves were still seeking an identity prior to the miracle World Series team of 1914.   In fact, the Boston edition hadn’t even settled on a team name by this point.  In 1907, the Boston Nationals (or Beaneaters as they were commonly called) were sold to the Dovey brothers.  To bring a new image to mark this era, the Boston Beaneaters soon became the Boston Doves.

Only, this name wouldn’t stick.  Shortly after the purchase, George Dovey died in 1909… leaving John Dovey in a position where he needed to sell the team.  John P. Harris would be the next owner… FOR ONE MONTH… before selling the franchise to William Hepburn Russell in 1910.  Russell would change the team name to the Boston Rustlers.  This name would hold for only a few years before the Boston franchise would finally settle on the Braves.

Due to such a fluid management situation, the T206 years were not kind to the Braves.  This led to several transactions that would send their best players to other clubs.  And as such, many of the cards for this team set were short print as star players like Bill Dahlen had updated cards to depict his change of uniform (to the Brooklyn Superbas).  Nonetheless… this is a great set of t206 cards with high eye-appeal and great stories.

1909 Boston Doves
Most Games by Position

1910 Boston Doves
Most Games by Position

1911 Boston Rustlers
Most Games by Position