The Baseball Guru - Fans Speak to A.C. Haeffner, I have three cards that are not in the price guide and I wondered if you can help me appraise them. They are tobacco cards.

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I have three cards that are not in the price guide and I wondered if you can help me appraise them. They are tobacco cards.

Craig wrote:

I have three cards that are not in the price guide and I wondered if you can help me appraise them. They are tobacco cards.

The first says LAJOIE, CLEVELAND across the bottom in tiny print. It has a light green background and he is wearing a gray, buttoned up to the collar uniform top that says CLEVELAND across the chest. The collar is up. Its just his torso and face. The back says sweet caporal cigarettes The standard for years. Base Ball Series 350 Subjects.

The second says TINKER, CHICAGO NATL across the bottom. It may be of the same year, both cards are similar. He has his glove folded up in his back pocket and he is holding a bat on his shoulder. His uniform says CHICAGO in white stitching vertically down the middle of his short sleeve shirt. He has a long sleeve white under shirt. The back says Base Ball Series assorted Subjects "Tolstoi" Russian mouth piece cigarettes. Then in small print at the bottom: factory No 30 24 dist, N.Y.

The third one is the same year as the Lajoie card, it has the same style. O'NEIL MINNEAPOLIS, pink background. It's his torso and face. he is wearing a gray flannel uniform buttoned to the top with the collar up. The back says Sweet Caporal Cigarettes the standard for years. Base Ball Series 350 subjects.

Thanks for any help identifying these. I wish I at least new what year they were.

Charlie Haeffner's Reply:

Those are all T206 cards issued from 1909-11, assuming they all have white borders. There was a gold border issue (T205), but neither Lajoie nor O'Neil was included. Tinker was, though. I'll go on the assumption that your Tinker card is white bordered.

The Lajoie card, being the portrait variety (there was also one of him throwing, and one of him with a bat) carries a premium. It books at $750 near mint, $300 excellent and $150 VG.

The Tinker card has a premium of a different kind -- the ad on the back. It's fairly rare, and boosts the card above Tinkers with Sweet Caporal backs. Book on that card with the premium factored in is: $603 NM, $241 excellent, and $121 VG.

The O'Neil is the least of the three: $90 NM, $36 excellent and $18 VG.

Charlie Haeffner

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