Lot # 460: 1911 T205 Gold Border Near-Complete Master Set (193/221)

Presented is a rarely offered near-complete master set of T205 Gold Borders consisting of 193 different (of 221) cards. Missing the following 28 cards for completion: Chase/left ear, Cicotte, Cobb, Criger, Duffy, Gray/stats on back, Hoblitzell/no stats on back, Hoblitzell/name incorrect, Hoblitzell/no "Cin." after 1908 stat, Johnson, Joss, Knight, LaPorte, Latham/W. A. Latham on back, Mathewson, Mathewson/1 loss, Moran/stray line of type, Schaefer, Simmons, Stone, Tannehill, Turner, Wagner, Wallace/no cap - one line of 1910 stats, Wallace/no cap - two lines of 1910 stats, Walsh, Wilhelm/"suffered" in bio, and Young. The T205 Gold Borders set is universally recognized as one of the most classic of all tobacco-card issues and includes all the great stars of the era and many rarities that make it one of the most challenging and difficult-to-complete of all tobacco-card sets. Overall, this is a very attractive medium- to lower-grade near-complete set. The advertising backs consist mostly of Piedmont and Sweet Caporal, with Hassan (27), Polar Bear (15), Sovereign (14), Honest Long Cut (12), Cycle (3), and American Beauty (1) also represented. Condition is 18% Vg-Ex to Ex (mostly Vg-Ex), 57% Gd to Vg, and 25% Pr to Fr. We have selected six cards to be professionally graded and encapsulated by SGC. Keys: Baker (Vg, Hassan), Barger/partial "B" (Gd), Bender (FAIR 1.5), Bresnahan/mouth closed (Pr due to back damage), Bresnahan/mouth open (Fr due to adhesive on reverse, Hassan), Brown (VG/EX 4, Hassan), Chance (measures small, otherwise Vg+), Chase/gold frame extends (Fr due to glue residue on reverse), Chase/frame ends (color added, otherwise Vg-Ex, Hassan), Clarke (Gd), Collins/mouth closed (color added, otherwise Pr due to back damage), Collins/mouth open (color added, otherwise Pr due to back damage, Polar Bear), Crandall/"t" not crossed (Vg), Crandall/"t" crossed (Vg, Hassan), Dahlen (Pr due to back damage), Donohue (Ex), Dougherty/red sock (85/15 T/B, otherwise Vg-Ex), Dougherty/white sock (Vg, Polar Bear), Evans (Vg, Polar Bear), Evers (Pr due to back damage), Fisher (Vg+), Ford/white (Vg, Hassan), Graham/Cubs (90/10 L/R, otherwise Vg, Polar Bear), Grant (Fr-Gd), Gray/no stats on back (Vg), Griffith (Gd), Harmon/left ear (Vg), Hoblitzell/"Cin." after 1908 stats (Vg), Huggins (Pr due to back damage), Jennings (Gd, Polar Bear), Karger (Pr-Fr due to ink stamp on reverse), Kleinow (Vg), Leifield/"A" on front (Gd), Leifield/"A. P." on front (Pr due to back damage, Sovereign 400), Marquard (VG 3), McGraw (VG/EX 4, Hassan), Raymond (Vg-Ex+, Hassan), Rowan (Pr due to back damage), Scanlan (Pr due to back damage), Shean/Cubs (Vg-Ex, Hassan), Speaker (VG+ 3.5, Hassan), Suggs (Vg), Sweeney (Vg+), Tinker (trimmed, otherwise Ex, Sovereign 400), Vaughan (Vg-Ex), Wallace/with cap (VG/EX 4), Wheat (Gd), K. White (Fr, Polar Bear), Wilhelm/ "suffe ed" in bio (Vg), and Wiltse/right ear (Fr due to glue residue on reverse). Minor Leaguers (all Hassan backs unless noted): Adkins (Gd), Batch (Vg+), Cady (marked reverse, otherwise Gd+), J. Collins (100/0 L/R, otherwise Vg), Dunn (Pr, Polar Bear), Frick (Fr, Polar Bear), Hanford (Gd+), Lee (Fr), McAllister (trimmed bottom edge, otherwise Vg-Ex), Merritt (100/0 L/R, otherwise Vg+), Nee (Gd), and Phelan (Pr, Polar Bear). This is an outstanding offering and is far more complete than usually seen. Includes most of the Hall of Famers, minor leaguers and many rarities, which make the assembly of the T205 Gold Border set especially challenging. Total: 193 cards.