The hobby’s most complete master set of T206 cards is being broken up and sold at auction.
The accumulation of more than 5,000 cards collected by David Hall, founder of Collector’s Universe, will be sold through Heritage Auctions in a series of sales running through 2019 and beyond. The first portion of the collection alone will span three auctions, held in July, September and December. The full collection is expected to command nearly $8 million in total.
The collection holds numerous rare cards from the set issued through American Tobacco Company products from 1909-1911 including the fabled Honus Wagner, Eddie Plank, Polar Bear Bill O’Hara (St. Louis) and scarce variations, such as Ty Cobb with Cobb back, Ty Cobb Red Hindu and the only near-complete Sovereign set ever assembled. The Plank card is included in Part 1 of the auction that is now open for bidding.
“There’s probably no single figure on the planet who has done more for my profession than David Hall,” explained Chris Ivy, Director of Heritage Sports. “It’s hard to imagine the sports collectibles industry without the authentication and grading structures Hall innovated. Every collector who has ever earned a dollar in this business owes him a debt of gratitude.”
Hall avidly researched and catalogued discoveries within the T206 set. He uncovered census data for players and advertising back combinations as well as previously unknown variations that are expected to garner record prices. His research has identified and helped lead to the acquisition of more than 5,000 different player/back combinations.
Highlights from Part 1 of the David Hall T206 Collection include:
- 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Eddie Plank PSA VG 3
- 1909-11 T206 Broad Leaf 460 Walter Johnson (Hands At Chest) PSA VG-EX+ 4.5 – The Only PSA Graded Example
- 1909-11 T206 Lenox-Black Ty Cobb (Red Portrait) PSA VG-EX 4
- 1909-11 T206 Hindu-Red Ty Cobb (Red Portrait) PSA VG-EX 4 – One of Only Six Known
- 1909-11 T206 Drum Walter Johnson (Hands At Chest) PSA VG-EX 4 – Only Two PSA-Graded Examples
- 1909-11 T206 Old Mill-Brown Ed Greminger (Factory 649 Overprint) PSA Authentic – A Fascinating & Unique Print Anomaly
Part 1 of the auction continues through July 19.