Lot # 459: 1911 T205 Gold Border Near-Complete Set (199/208) Including 176 PSA- and SGC-Graded Cards

The T205 Gold Borders set is universally recognized as one of the classic tobacco-card issues and includes all the great stars of the era and many rarities. Presented is a near-complete set of 199 different cards (out of 208 in the basic set). Missing the following nine cards for completion: Barger/partial "B," Bresnahan/mouth open, Chase/left ear, Collins/mouth open, Ford/black cap, Graham/Cubs, Harmon/left ear, Shean/Cubs, and Wiltse/right ear. Though the cards span a variety of grades, they present with bright colors and crisp focus, and many of the lesser-graded examples still have great eye appeal. A total of 176 cards have been professionally graded and encapsulated by SGC (103), PSA (67), GAI (2), and BVG (4). Grading Composite (SGC unless noted): EX+ 5.5 (1 card): Barger/full "B" on cap (PSA). EX 60 (3 cards): Graham/Rustlers, Hartsel, and Jones (PSA). VG/EX+ 55 (4 cards): Bell (PSA), Ferguson, Payne (PSA), and Reulbach (GAI). VG/EX 50 (19 cards): Archer (SGC 4), Barry (SGC 4), Beck (PSA), Bender, Criger, Delahanty (PSA), Doyle (SGC 4), Egan (PSA, MK), Gaspar (PSA), Gray/no stats on back, McAllister (PSA), McGraw (PSA), Miller, Mullin (SGC 4), Schmidt (SGC 4), Sheckard (PSA), Snodgrass, D. White, and Willett (SGC 4). VG+ 45 (11 cards): Batch (PSA), Carrigan, Grant, Herzog (BVG), Johnson (GAI), T. Jones (PSA), Knight, Latham/A. Latham on back, McConnell (PSA), McIntire, and Parent (SGC 3.5). VG 40 (36 cards): Adkins (PSA), Austin (PSA, MK), Baker (PSA), Blackburne (PSA), Bresnahan/mouth closed (PSA), Camnitz, Clarke (PSA), Devlin, Downey, Dunn (SGC 3), Elberfeld, Ewing (PSA), Ewing (PSA), Hauser, Hoffman, Huggins, Killian (PSA), Konetchy, Kroh (PSA), Magee (SGC 3), Merritt (PSA), Milan, Nee (SGC 3), Needham, Overall, Paskert, Phillippe (PSA), Rowan (PSA), Rucker, Schlei (PSA), Sharpe (PSA), Stahl (PSA), Stanage, Stone, Sweeney, and Vaughan. GOOD+ 35 (11 cards): Bergen, Bescher (BVG), Brown (SGC 2.5), Griffith (PSA), Hanford (PSA), Joss, B. Lord (SGC 2.5), Mitchell (SGC 2.5), Moran (SGC 2.5), Olmstead (PSA), and Young. GOOD 30 (31 cards): Ball (PSA), Birmingham (PSA), Bransfield (PSA), Bridwell (PSA), Byrne (GOOD 2), Chase/gold frame extends (PSA), Collins/mouth closed (PSA), Daubert (PSA), Dooin (PSA), Doughtery/red sock (PSA, MK), Engle, Evans (PSA), Flynn, Ford/white (PSA, MC), Frick (PSA, MC), Gardner (PSA 2), Groom, Hemphill (PSA), Hummell, Lang (PSA), Lush (PSA), Maddox (PSA), Mattern, McElveen, Merkle, Meyers (PSA), Schaefer (PSA), Schulte, Summers (PSA), Tannehill (PSA), and Wilson. FAIR 20 (21 cards): Abbaticchio (SGC 1.5), Ames, Cicotte/"Black Sox" (PSA), Crandall/"t" crossed (SGC 1.5), Fletcher (PSA 1.5), Foxen (SGC 1.5), Leach, Leever (PSA), Marquard (SGC 1.5), McLean (SGC 1.5), Moriarity, Oldring (SGC 1.5), Quinn (SGC 1.5), Scott (SGC 1.5), Stovall, Street (BVG), Suggs (SGC 1.5), Thomas (SGC 1.5), Turner, Walsh (SGC 1.5), and Wheat (PSA). POOR 10 (19 cards): Becker, Cady (SGC 1), Donohue (SGC 1), Duffy (PSA, MK), Fisher (SGC 1), Fromme (SGC 1), Hoblitzell/"Cin." after 1908 stats (PSA), K. White (PSA), Lee (PSA), Leifield/"A. P." on front (PSA), Livingston (SGC 1), Mathewson, McIntyre, Phelps, Steinfeldt (PSA), Titus (PSA), Wagner, Wallace/with cap (PSA), and Wiltse/both ears show (PSA). Authentic (20 cards): Bates (BVG, Altered), Cobb, Dahlen, Dickson, Doolan, Dygert, Goode, H. Lord, J. Collins, Jacklitsch, Karger, LaPorte, Lobert, Murphy, O'Leary (ink added), Oakes, Raymond (Altered), Shean/Rustlers, Speaker, and Wilhelm/"suffe ed" in bio. The twenty-three unencapsulated cards grade two Vg-Ex, three Vg (including one residing in a BCCG holder), four Gd, three Fr, seven Pr and four trimmed. Unencapsulated Keys: Chance (borders trimmed off, otherwise Ex), Evers (borders trimmed off, otherwise Vg-Ex), Jennings (Fr due mostly to small spots of paper loss on reverse), Kleinow (Gd), Phelan (Fr, minor leaguer), Scanlan (Pr-Fr), and Tinker (borders trimmed off, otherwise Vg+). Most of the backs are Piedmont or Sweet Caporal, but also included are one American Beauty, three Cycle, 27 Hassan, 34 Honest Long Cut, 23 Polar Bear, and nine Sovereign. This is an attractive medium- to lower-grade near-complete set including many of the Hall of Famers, minor leaguers, and rarities that make the T205 Gold Borders set so challenging to complete. Total: 199 cards. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.