1912 T207 Brown Background Set: A Forgotten Tobacco Gem

The T207 baseball card issue from the American Tobacco Company is a curious issue.  The set followed a successful and historic three year run (T205 and T206) of tobacco card sets issued from 1909 thru 1911. 

Known through the hobby as the ‘Brown Background’ set, the T207 issue took a step back in terms of the beautiful colors offered in the previous two issues. 

Instead, ATC produced a rather dark and somber 200 card set that left out some of baseball biggest stars of the time.

Cards are prone to cracking due to a glossed card front and backs offer different advertising variations, some (Red Cross) are nearly impossible to find. 

Still, collectors of prewar tobacco cards view the 1912 T207 cards as an exciting challenge due to some of the tougher to find cards and back variations.

Our 1912 T207 Baseball Card Picks

Here are some of our top picks in the set. The Best Overall Investment is awarded to ‘Big Train’ Walter Johnson, as one of the bigger stars in the set.

 Note the runner up for best investment would be Tris Speaker.  

Eddie Cicotte, our choice for Best Value in the T207 set, was a fantastic pitcher, yet failed to make the HOF due to his Black Sox involvement.

Smoky Joe Wood, our choice for Most Underrated Card, posted a 34 win season in the year of this set’s release, however, he never lived up to his potential due to arm problems.

The Jack Barry card, is in my opinion, the Best Overall Design in the T207 set. 

Best Investment

Walter Johnson

Best Value

EddieCicotte

Most Underrated

Smoky Joe Wood

Best Design

JackBarry 

The American Tobacco Company

We provided a brief background of The American Tobacco Company in our article on the T206 White Borders set. In addition, there is more commentary in our piece discussing The History Of Baseball Cards.

Of course, the highlight tobacco issue for the American Tobacco Company is the legendary White Borders T206 set.

Most aren’t quite familiar with the background of ‘ATC’ at the time and the stranglehold they had on the tobacco market.

In 1890 a merger of several large tobacco companies of the time led to the formation of what was known as the ‘Tobacco Trust’.  

This included a few cigarette brands that produced some of the most historic cards in the hobby, including Goodwin & Co and Allen & Ginter. 

In 1911, the American Tobacco Company was forced to dissolve based on allegations of monopolistic practices.  Thus, some speculate that ATC could have been a bit distracted due to the dissolution of the company with its 1912 T207 release. 

Regardless, the span of tobacco sets issued from 1909 thru 1912 is considered a golden era by collectors.  Certainly. the American Tobacco Company issue known as the 1909-1911 White Border (T206) set is the most popular. 

Other popular issues released by ATC include the T3 Turkey Reds, T205 Gold Borders, the underrated T201 Mecca Double Folders and T202 Hassan Triple Folders set.  

A T202 Ty Cobb and Hughie Jennings card.

And of course the 1912 Brown Background T207 Tobacco set which we profile below.

A Closer Look At The T207 Set

The T207 ‘Brown Background’ set was a follow-up to the successful T205 (Gold Border) and T206 (White Border) sets. It would mark the last official set issued by the American Tobacco company.  It to this day has never garnered the same sort of demand as the previous issues. 

The cards were distributed inside the packs of two cigarette makers (Broadleaf, Cycle), two cigar products (Recruit, Napoleon) and one tobacco product (Red Cross).

A Recruit Litle Cigars pack

Appearance-wise, the T207 cards lack the same sort of design appeal as the T205 and T206 sets. Gone are the striking colored lithographs, in favor of a monotone color set with many hues of brown and black (and some hints of red and blue).  

A T207 Ed Konetchy card

I’ll admit, some of the cards are downright ugly.  This Ed Konetchy card from the set is one example – it looks like the artists gave Ed a streak of black lipstick. Although some might argue that there are a few strip card sets that look a heck of a lot worse.

And then there are cards like this Jack Barry card which are much more attractive. 

A T207 Jack Barry card

There are 200 cards in the T207 set, well short of the 520 cards issued in the T206, but more on par with the 208 cards issued in the T205 Gold Border set.  

”

Depite all the pitfalls which exist in this set for the card collecting hobbyist and despite the frustrating levels of scarcity and huge percentage of ‘scarce’ cards in the set (coupled with low percentage of hall of famers), this, is in my mind, the most intriguing and addictive vintage card set ever released. 

– Bob MARQUETTE, “The T-207 Set What WHERE THEY THINKINg?” – VCBC Feb, 2004

T207 card backs include a short biography for the player such as with this Tris (or Tristam) Speaker card. 

There’s a decent amount of star power in the T207 set, yet some glaring omissions. The most notable exclusions include the likes of Ty Cobb, Nap Lajoie, Cy Young, and Christy Mathewson or even ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson.  

It is uncertain why this happened, yet many missing stars are found in the T3, T201 or T202 sets, issued at around the same time as the ‘Brown Background’ cards. 

A 1912 T202 HassanTriple Folder card issued by the American Tobacco Company

Despite the lack of big-time players of the day, the set does include a few other interesting subjects. Some include Eddie Cicotte, banned from baseball for his participation in the ‘Black Sox’ scandal) and Rafael Almeda, a Cuban baseball star. 

All in all, there are thirteen Hall Of Famers in the set. 

T207 Advertising Back Variations

There are eight different advertising back variations in the T207 (source Old Cardboard) as shown below.  The backs are shown in order of overall scarcity (starting higher population first).  

The Red Cross backs are so scarce, that less than twenty are known to exist.  A Red Cross Lewis Lowdermilk sold for over $13K at an REA auction back in 2014. 

This is a great resource that discusses the Red Cross backs in more detail.

T207 Recruit Factory 240

T207 Recruit Factory 606

T207 Broadleaf

T207 Anonymous Factory 3

T207 Cycle

T207 Napoleon

T207 Anonymous Factory 25

T207 Red Cross

Outside of the Red Cross backs, the Anonymous, Napoleon, Cycle and Broadleaf backs sell for a premium. The Recruit backs are the easiest to find, with the Factory 606 (Maryland) Recruit’s a bit of a tougher find than the Factory 240’s (Pennsylvania).

It should be noted that 50 cards in the set were only issued with Broadleaf, Cycle, or Anonymous Factory 25 backs and some Red Cross backs.  The other 150 cards in the set were issued with Recruit or Napoleon backs.  See OldCardboard for more info on back groupings.

Source: The T207 Set What Where They Thinking and No Population Explosion by Tim Newcomb VCBC).

Relative Scarcity Of The T207 Set

Based on population data from PSA, to date, roughly 9800 cards have been graded in the T207 set, equating to an average of 49 graded cards per player.  

The T205 set has an average of 205 cards graded for each player in the set.

The T206 set has the highest average between the three sets, with an average of 495 cards per player.

Set Name	Avg PSA Graded Cards Per Player
T205 Gold Border	205
T206 White Border	495
T207 Brown Background	49

Thus, based on PSA data, we can comfortably state that T207 cards are much scarcer than their T205 and T206 counterparts.  

T207 cards have about 1/10 the existing graded population in comparison to the ever popular T206 White Borders set.

Rarest Cards In The T207 Set?

Over the years, collectors have speculated on the T207 cards which felt like impossible finds, and many are indeed scarcer than others.  

Read old forums and the likes of Louis Lowermilk, Charles Bauman and Red Donlin are some of the most oft noted tougher finds. 

However, today, thankfully we have the PSA and SGC population reports to help detail overall scarcity.

The Irving Lewis variation with ‘No Emblem On Sleeve’ is the scarcest card in the set with only 13 total graded copies.

T207 Irving Lewis no Emblem on sleeve variation, the lowest graded card in the set.

The Paddy Livingston variation (small C on the shirt) is the second rarest with only 18 copies graded. 

Tied for third are Red Kuhn and Clyde Engle with only 24 graded copies each. 

Please find the full detailed list of overall population below. 

Source: SGC Pop Report and PSA Pop Report

Player	PSA Graded Total	SGC Graded Total	Total Graded Pop
Irving Lewis(No Emblem on Sleeve)	11	2	13
Paddy Livingston(Small “C” On Shirt)	18	0	18
Red Kuhn	17	7	24
Clyde Engle	23	1	24
Geo. Mogridge	18	7	25
Ray Fisher(White Cap)	25	0	25
John Adams	16	10	26
Ted Easterly	24	2	26
George Tyler	17	10	27
Ben Houser	18	9	27
William Sullivan	25	2	27
George Stovall	26	1	27
Paddy Livingston(“A” On Shirt)	27	0	27
Charles Bauman	15	13	28
Mike Donlin	18	10	28
Don Carlos Ragan	25	4	29
Wilbur Schardt	27	2	29
Elmer Knetzer	28	1	29
Fred Blanding	21	9	30
John Kling	27	3	30
William Steele	28	2	30
C.D. Thomas	29	1	30
Jim Scott	29	1	30
J.F. Bushelman	19	12	31
Irving Lewis(Emblem on Sleeve)	22	9	31
Eugene Woodburn	26	5	31
William Carrigan	29	2	31
George Mullin(“D” On Cap)	30	1	31
Napoleon Rucker	30	1	31
Doc White	21	11	32
Jacques Fournier	22	10	32
Rollie Zeider	28	4	32
Robert Higgins	31	1	32
Ray Morgan	32	0	32
Joe Birmingham	21	12	33
F.H. (Bill) Lange	23	10	33
J.B. Ryan	23	10	33
Mike Mitchell(Cincinnati)	31	2	33
James Austin(No Insignia on Shirt)	33	0	33
Ward Miller	22	12	34
William Cunningham	29	5	34
George Graham	30	4	34
Ivey Wingo	33	1	34
Frank E. Smith	34	0	34
William Sweeney	23	12	35
Morris Rath	24	11	35
O.C. Peters	25	10	35
John Henry	31	4	35
Herbert Perdue	33	2	35
George Ellis	34	1	35
Henry Butcher	20	16	36
Edward Donnelly	23	13	36
Jimmy Block	30	6	36
Paddy Livingston(Large “C” On Shirt)	36	0	36
Barney Pelty	22	15	37
Ralph Works	25	12	37
Alexander McCarthy	27	10	37
Harry Lee Spratt	37	0	37
Ray Fisher(Blue Cap)	37	0	37
William McKechnie	37	0	37
Lefty George	35	3	38
James Austin(Insignia on Shirt)	38	0	38
Thomas W. Leach	38	0	38
Hamilton Hyatt	26	13	39
Owen Wilson	27	12	39
Heinie Wagner	36	3	39
Robert Wallace	36	3	39
Grover Hartley	24	16	40
Roy Miller	26	14	40
Chester Hoff	28	12	40
Casey Hageman	37	3	40
George Mullin(No “D” On Cap)	40	0	40
Herbert Northen	40	0	40
Arthur Rasmussen	28	13	41
Arthur Phelan	30	11	41
Russell Blackburne	31	10	41
Albert Leifield	37	4	41
Arthur Fromme	38	3	41
Bert Tooley	39	2	41
Matthew McIntyre	39	2	41
Frank Schulte	41	0	41
Victor Saier	27	15	42
Joseph Kutina	28	14	42
Earl Moore	35	7	42
Ping Bodie	40	2	42
Edward Ainsmith	42	0	42
William Kelly	30	13	43
John Collins	40	3	43
Edward McDonald	42	1	43
Jack Lapp	42	1	43
Oscar Stanage	42	1	43
Armando Marsans	43	0	43
R.E. Erwin	43	0	43
Vean Gregg	29	15	44
Red Nelson	32	12	44
George Moriarty	35	9	44
Harry Hooper	38	6	44
E.S. Hallinan	42	2	44
Edgar Lennox	42	2	44
Earl Hamilton	43	1	44
Stanley Yerkes	44	0	44
Jay Kirke	31	14	45
Joe Wood	41	4	45
Charlie Hall	44	1	45
Joseph Benz	32	14	46
Louis Lowdermilk	36	10	46
Edward Cicotte	42	4	46
Harry Lord	45	1	46
Leonard Cole	46	0	46
Tom Downey	27	20	47
Otto Miller	31	16	47
Leslie Nunamaker	44	3	47
John Daubert	48	0	48
Fred Snodgrass	47	2	49
Jack Quinn	48	1	49
Thomas Needham	48	1	49
Eros Barger	49	0	49
Rebel Oakes	49	0	49
Robert Bescher	49	0	49
Rafael Almeida	35	15	50
Del Drake	49	1	50
John B. Miller(Pittsburg)	50	0	50
John Warhop	50	0	50
Leeford Tannehill	50	0	50
William Hogan	45	6	51
Duffy Lewis	50	1	51
George Kaler	51	0	51
J.G. Graney	51	0	51
Neal Ball	51	0	51
Cy Morgan	51	1	52
Wallace Smith	51	1	52
Dave Danforth	52	0	52
Rube Oldring	52	1	53
Edward Stack	53	0	53
Harry Davis	53	0	53
Henry Severoid(Severeid)	53	0	53
Louis Evans	53	0	53
Harry Gowdy	49	5	54
George Paskart(Paskert)	52	2	54
Mike Mitchell(Cleveland, Picture Is Willie Mitchell)	52	2	54
Terence Turner(Terrence)	54	0	54
Charles Herzog	35	20	55
Amos Strunk	54	1	55
Briscoe Lord	54	1	55
Buck O’Brien	55	0	55
Arthur Wilson	55	1	56
Bert Daniels	55	2	57
Howard Camnitz	55	2	57
John James Callahan	57	0	57
Tris Speaker	56	2	58
Harry Steinfeldt	58	0	58
Hugh Bradley	58	0	58
Tom Clarke	58	0	58
George Weaver	40	19	59
Jim Vaughn	57	2	59
Harry Krause	58	1	59
Ivan Olson	59	0	59
William Scanlon	59	1	60
Robert Coulson	60	0	60
Roy Golden	61	0	61
Jack Barry	61	1	62
Claude Derrick	62	2	64
Patrick J. Moran	65	0	65
Bob Williams	64	2	66
Clyde Milan	66	0	66
John Ferry	64	4	68
Edward Konetchy	70	0	70
Olaf Henriksen	70	0	70
Frank Chance	71	0	71
Robert M. Byrne	71	0	71
George Chalmers	72	0	72
Max Carey	72	1	73
Germany Schaefer	73	0	73
Del Gainor	75	0	75
Mike Simon	75	0	75
Joe Tinker	76	0	76
Chief Bender	78	0	78
William L. Gardner	78	0	78
Zach Wheat	78	0	78
Gabby Street	75	4	79
Edward Reulbach	79	0	79
Larry McLean	79	0	79
Beals Becker	77	3	80
Jack Lively	78	3	81
Martin J. O’Toole	79	2	81
Ed (Dixie) Walker	81	0	81
Lawrence Doyle	81	0	81
Arthur Devlin	82	0	82
George McBride	82	0	82
Robert Harmon	82	0	82
Jim Delehanty(Delahanty)	82	1	83
Harry McIntire	83	0	83
W. Arlington Latham	83	0	83
Joshua Devore	85	0	85
Ernest Wilie	86	0	86
Otto Knabe	85	2	87
Charles Dooin	86	2	88
Arthur Fletcher	86	3	89
Otis Crandall	86	3	89
Harry Wolverton	90	0	90
Tex Covington	90	4	94
George Wiltse	95	0	95
Roger Bresnaham(Bresnahan)	116	2	118
John J. McGraw	123	2	125
Richard Marquard	133	0	133
Walter Johnson	172	0	172

T207 Set Variations

While there are 200 players in the T207 set, a number of variations exist.

Irving Lewis – Emblem On Sleeve and No Emblem On Sleeve

T207 Irving Lewis no Emblem on sleeve variation, the lowest graded card in the set.

T207 Irving Lewis w emblem on sleeve

Paddy Livingston – Large “C” on Shirt, Small “C” on Shirt and “A” on Shirt

T207 Paddy Livingston Big C on shirt

T207 Paddy Livingston Small C on shirt, the toughet to find of all three cards

T207 Paddy Livingston A on shirt

George Mullin – “D” on Cap and no “D” on Cap

T207 George Mullin variation with D on cap, the tougher of the two to find

T207 George Mullin variation with no D on his cap

James Austin – Insignia and No Insignia on Shirt

T207 James Austin w insignia on his jersey

T207 James Austin variation, no insignia on shirt, slightly more challenging to find than the version with the insignia

Ray Fisher – Blue Cap and White Cap

T207 Ray Fisher with Blue Cap

T207 Ray Fisher with White Cap, the scarcer of the two variations

Most Valuable Cards In The T207 Set

Assessing the most valuable cards in the T207 set is a bit of a challenge. There are so many no-name players that have super hard to find cards.  

The most recognized player in the set, Walter Johnson is the easiest (although still fairly scarce) to find, yet it’s quite possible that a very nice condition Irving Lewis (no emblem variation) could eclipse a T207 Wajo at auction.

So, I resorted to PSA’s SMR price guide (using PSA 5 values) to provide some intel on the most valuable cards in the set. Not a perfect measure by any means, but it should provide collectors with a good overview of some of the prized cards in the set. 

1912 T207 Irving Lewis (no emblem on sleeve)

T207 Irving Lewis no Emblem on sleeve variation, the lowest graded card in the set.

Based on PSA’s guide, the Lewis (no emblem) card is the most valuable card in the set. And as noted previously, it is also the rarest card in the T207 set. Surprisingly enough, PSA also has the Lewis variation card (with emblem on sleeve) as the second most valuable card in the set.  Even though as shown in the scarcity report above, there are many other cards in the set with a lower graded population.

1912 T207 Lewis Lowdermilk

The T207 Lewis Lowdermilk card has built a reputation over the years in collecting circles. The mystique of the card derives from the relative challenge in trying to locate the card.

Lowdermilk had barely a blink of an eye in the major leagues, yet collectors continue to bid up his T207 card. The amazing fact, however, is that based on graded population reports alone, the Lowdermilk is in the middle of the pack for scarcity.

Over half of the cards in the set have a lower graded population than Lowdermilk.

So, is the value of the card justified? It’s hard to say. Like anything that gains in popularity, collectors will rush to get a card graded that has more value. This could be the case with the Lowdermilk card. Hardcore T207 collectors will still tell you of the challenges in locating one, but I don’t think the value is worth it. 

1912 T207 Tris Speaker

The T207 Tris Speaker is one of the ‘easier’ to locate cards in the T207 set, yet with only 58 total graded copies, this is still a tough card to find, especially in good condition.

Compare this to over 850 PSA Tris Speaker graded copies from the T206 set and you get a better idea of the relative scarcity.  For a vintage card investor, the T207 speaker should be near the top of your list for long term potential.

1912 T207 Buck Weaver (Black Sox)

Buck Weaver was a member of the infamous Black Sox team and was banned from baseball due to his involvement in the 1919 World Series fix. 

Weaver was known as a steady hitter at the plate, yet seemed to improve as time went on, batting .331 in his final season in major league baseball in 1920. 

The Weaver rookie card is certainly tough to find (only 59 total graded copies), yet is mostly in the middle of the pack in terms of overall set scarcity.

1912 T207 Smoky Joe Wood

The Red Sox fireballer, unfortunately, had his career cut short due to arm troubles, but when he was on his game, no one threw harder than Smoky Joe. He’s not in the Hall, but Smoky Joe Wood’s cards remain highly sought after by vintage collectors.  

1912 T207 Mike Donlin

Many collectors are unfamiliar with “Turkey Mike” Donlin, but during his playing days, he was recognized as one of the better hitters in the league. Donlin played for seven teams over twelve seasons, batting .333 over his career. Donlin left baseball in 1915 to pursue an acting career and appeared in over 50 films.

His T207 card is one of the tougher cards to find in the set, with only 28 graded copies between PSA and SGC. Ask any collector of this set, and they’ll tell you how tough the Donlin is. 

1912 T207 Ward Miller

Miller has long been considered (mostly before POP reports) as one of the rarest cards in the set, yet population reports show that there are quite a few others in front of him in terms of scarcity. His card is hard to find (34 graded copies thus far), yet only ranks 40th in terms of overall card scarcity. 

1912 T207 Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson along with Tris Speaker are the two big HOF names in the set. Wajo’s card is the easiest to find in terms of graded population; over 170 cards have been graded to date.   

Investment Potential Of The T207 Set

Overall Investment Rating: 9 out of 10

It’s not glamorous by any means and there are a lot of big-time HOF player omissions, but the T207 set is one that should be a focus for vintage card investors. 

The relative scarcity versus the other big ATC sets makes the Brown Background cards a great investment. 

Paying a few thousand dollars for some of the rarer commons is questionable. But the stars such as Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker should be a great long-term investment. 

Also, some of the Black Sox cards (Weaver and Cicotte for example) and the legendary Smoky Joe Wood should remain popular. Not to add some of the Cuban HOF players which help make for a diverse and fascinating set.

Set builders should be aware that piecing together the full set (plus variations) could take years to complete. Also, the cards won’t come cheap, especially some of the scarcer cards.

Recommended T207 Resources

• Great Image Gallery And Backround on T207 Cards
• PSA Population, Pricing and Data Reports
• Old Cardboard Checklist and Back Groupings
• Keith Olbermann article on Irving Lewis and his T207 card
• Prewarcards Discussion on Some of T207 Unknowns
• Net54 T207 Discussion Thread

T207 Cards on eBay