1911 T205 Gold Border Tobacco Card Collection Featuring Hall of Famers & Deadball Era Players – Sweet Caporal, Polar Bear & Hassan Backs – 31 Cards Total (E.G.D. Collection)

Historic and visually appealing group of thirty-one (31) original 1911 T205 Gold Border tobacco-era baseball cards featuring Hall of Famers, star players, and notable Deadball Era subjects highlighted by a desirable assortment of Sweet Caporal, Polar Bear, and Hassan advertising backs.

Issued between 1911 and 1912, the iconic T205 Gold Border series remains one of the hobby’s most celebrated pre-war baseball card sets, renowned for its ornate gold frame design, vibrant colour artwork, and classic tobacco-era presentation. Due to the fragile metallic borders, surviving examples frequently display chipping and wear, making large original groups increasingly difficult to assemble.

This collection features a strong mix of early baseball stars and recognizable subjects including Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins, Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Marquard, Hal Chase, Kid Elberfeld, Germany Schaefer, Clyde Milan, George Moriarity, and others. The lot also includes multiple Polar Bear-backed examples, a particularly desirable and widely collected tobacco reverse within the T205 issue.

While the cards display varying levels of wear consistent with fragile pre-war tobacco cards, the group retains strong overall eye appeal with vibrant colour presentation, attractive portrait artwork, and excellent vintage display quality throughout.

Included Players:
Jimmy Collins
Lee Newark
Cady Newark
Adkins (Baltimore)
Frank La Porte
Hal Chase
Kid Elberfeld
Bill Bailey
Frank Lang
Clyde Milan
Ambrose McConnell
Ira Thomas
James Scott
Germany Schaefer
George Moriarity
George McBride
George Schlei
Beals Becker
Ed Konetchy
Edgar Lennox
Rube Marquard
George Wiltse
Lew Richie
G.N. Rucker
Bill Foxen
Bob Harmon
John Bates
John McLean
Nick Maddox
Al Leifield
Art Fromme

Authentication & Provenance
These cards have not been submitted for third-party grading or authentication and are offered as ungraded vintage tobacco-era baseball cards.

These cards originate from the E.G.D. Collection, a long-held private collection assembled over many years featuring vintage baseball cards, pre-war tobacco issues, autographed sports memorabilia, and historically significant sports collectibles.

Condition
Ungraded. Cards display varying levels of corner wear, creasing, edge wear, surface wear, staining, back wear, scrapbook residue, paper loss, and age-related toning consistent with early tobacco-era issues. Several cards exhibit heavier wear and/or back damage, while others retain solid colour, eye appeal, and strong presentation for the issue. Typical gold border chipping and wear are present throughout. Overall, the collection presents attractively as a substantial pre-war T205 group with excellent vintage character throughout. Please refer to photographs for complete condition details.

Details
Issue: 1911 T205 Gold Border
Backs: Sweet Caporal, Polar Bear & Hassan
Card Type: Pre-War Tobacco Cards
Quantity: Thirty-One (31) Cards
Grading: Ungraded
Provenance: E.G.D. Collection