Early 20th century tobacco ad... famous T206 baseball cards...

THE DAILY PICAYUNE, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 16, 1909.

* T206 Baseball Cards, T206, Rube Waddell, St. Louis Browns, Hindu Cigarettes, Baseball Cards, Pre-1930 Cards, 1911 Newspaper

This 12 page newspaper has news of the day with several interesting advertisements including a great ad on page 5 for: "HINDU CIGARETTES" (see the photos). The Hindu Cigarette brand was one of several that included the cards of  notable baseball players in their boxes of cigarettes. Note that in the close-up photo of the pack of cigarettes are two of the cards. The cards feature Rube Waddell of the St. Louis Browns (also a Hall of Famer), and "Red" Dooin of the Philadelphia Phillies. Both are part of the famous T206 baseball card set issued from 1909-1911. The name of the tobacco company was on the back of the card, and those with a Hindu back, as well as Old Mill, Bicycle, Sovereign and a few others, are less common than those with the Piedmont or Sweet Caporal back. A great item relating to what many consider the most popular baseball card set of all time. The ad measures 10 1/4 by 9 inches. Issue has a bit of fold rubbing on the front page, there is a minor fold tear in the outer margin affecting each leaf, a bit of lite browning, other wise in good condition.

Historical Background: The name T206 refers to the catalog designation assigned by Jefferson Burdick in his book The American Card Catalog. It is also known informally as the "White Border" set due to the distinctive white borders surrounding the lithographs on each card.

The T206 set consists of 523 cards. Over 100 of the cards picture minor league players. There are also multiple cards for the same player in different poses, different uniforms, or even with different teams after being traded (since the set was issued over a period of several years). The cards measure 1-7/16" x 2-5/8" which is considered by many collectors to be the standard tobacco card size.

The T206 set is the most popular and widely collected set of the tobacco/pre-war era. The historical significance of the set as well as the large number of variations give it enormous appeal to collectors. In addition, the set features many Baseball Hall of Fame members including Ty Cobb (who is pictured on 4 different cards), Walter Johnson, Cy Young, and Christy Mathewson. The value of the cards has led to a great deal of counterfeiting over the years.