Legendary Auctions, a newly formed, high-end Sports and Americana auction house announced today that it has been selected to sell a recent find of T205 and T206 baseball cards – all of which feature the elusive “Drum”-branded advertising on the cards’ backs. The significance of this discovery is substantial, and it represents an unprecedented assembly of these rarely seen treasures. These incredible cards will begin to make their way into collectors’ hands through Legendary Auctions’ inaugural April sale. Bidding for this phone/internet auction will open on April 20th and close on April 29th and 30th.
Doug Allen, President and CEO of Legendary Auctions, says he has never seen anything to compare with this find. “In over 20 years of collecting and selling, I’ve handled tens of thousands of T205 and T206 cards,” says Allen. “But this is the greatest quantity of ‘Drum’ backs that has ever been seen in one place.”
As he was growing up, the consignor of the “Drum” cards knew that they were valuable items, he just didn’t know how valuable they were. And for a long time, it really didn’t matter. The consignor simply enjoyed collecting baseball cards especially since he shared the hobby with his grandfather and treasured the time they spent together immersed in their pursuit. When it came time to sell the cards, the consignor sent images to Legendary in order to get an idea of how much they were worth. After all, he knew they were pre-war cards, so he guessed they had value. Amazingly, there are eight different T205s and 41 different T206s — all featuring the “Drum” advertisement.
“I was floored,” says Allen. “When you consider that this find nearly tripled the amount of known ‘Drum’ T205s and almost equaled the confirmed, existing total of ‘Drum’ T206s, the importance of this group becomes obvious.”
Allen wasn’t the only one who was floored! The consignor was stunned to learn that his collection was worth six figures.T205 and T206 baseball cards are among the most well-known and widely distributed early 20th century tobacco premiums. Of the two issues, the T205 is less plentiful than the T206. Most examples of these issues found in sports collecting feature the more common reverse-side designs that advertise tobacco brands such as Piedmont and Sweet Caporal. Cards featuring “Drum” backs are few and very far between.
Allen says while the news of the “Drum” find is exciting, so is the fact that such discoveries still exist. “We have a tendency to believe that all the treasures have been found in sports memorabilia,” says Allen. And, then, something like this amazing group of cards comes along. Who knows what may still be out there?”
The first installment of the “Drum” cards will be offered in the Legendary Auctions April sale. For more information on the cards, or to register to bid and receive an auction catalog, call 708-889-9380 or go to www.legendaryauctions.com. Consignments for upcoming Legendary Auctions are currently being accepted.
