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T206 collection found, multiple Cobbs and E95 Wagner NEED HELP
Browns1981
Posts: 577 ✭✭✭✭✭
I acquired this set of tobacco cards today. Aside from the three loose cards, all the rest are glued to a backing board. What are my options for getting them off safely?
I am 99% sure these are all real, so this could be the score of a lifetime.
3
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be patient and don't rush into anything
consider contacting these folks: https://www.graphicconservation.com/
you could try soaking them off by submersing a small group (or just one card) in water for a period of time, then carefully and patiently seeing if the glue is water soluble. Then you'd have to dry the soaked cards out. You'd have to do your own research on this but it has been discussed in many threads on the net54 forum.
Blow dryer might help soften the glue enough to get them off. I've done this to get labels off of old Sports Illustrated magazines without ruining the cover. Just have to go slow.
Browns1981…
How did you come upon the T206 collection? Congrats!
I would just add - if you want to try soaking? Distilled water might be recommended?
PS: I don't want this to sound like I'm advocating for this - based on what you're shown here? I would definitely learn towards "professional conservation."
Also, if ya want to know if they're real?
Hit them with a black light - if there's blue iridescent color - they're fake.
Also if you know what modern printing looks like under a 5 or 10X? Cards back then are mostly chromolithography I believe - so under mag instead of perfect concentric print dots - the ink looks more like irregular amoebas - you can really tell easily.
Best of luck and those Cobbs are sweet - even in that condition! 👍
PS - keep going back and forth on what I'm seeing - I think some are T206's and others are something like 1909 E95 Philadelphia Caramel - like the Honus Wagner. Some of the backs shown look like T206s?
Yard sale. Asked if they had cards and the guy brought these out. He was in his 70s or 80s and said they were his grandfathers. He had plenty of other collectors stuff around (cars and so on) that I felt comfortable buying.
Three (3) Cobbs? Wow, very nice!
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
Wow. I would not do the hairdryer or the goo b gone. The only thing I would do is water, as it won’t harm these cards.
Or send to some pros.
What a score!
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
as mentioned. distilled water only. I am on Net54, and the guys there are very smart and anyone there can assist you in the process. its been discussed numerous times. I think it varies how long to soak and how to lay to let it dry.
If your able to release the green and red cobb, i like to pursue them and a few others for my raw card collection.
Having experience with Cuban cards for which being glued into a book is the norm, I'd go to a professional paper conservationist.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Don’t do anything yourself. Pay a professional.
I contacted Graphics Conservation and sent them pictures. I’ll update when I have more info.
They quoted me $375 basically to look at it and then an unknown amount to actually do the work. Still thinking it over. Anyone else ever use a conservator company they can recommend?
I may try soaking just the bottom left Maddox card and see if I can get it to come off safely since it’s already a little loose.
Here's an article from net54 on soaking cards: LINK
I like projects like this.
I’ll give you 14k as it sits for all and give it a shot to see how I can do removing them.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
I sent them off to Graphics Conservation and they received them today. I appreciate the offers I’ve gotten but I will be keeping the majority of these to pass down to my kids. I’ll update once I get them back. I had removed the bottom left card myself with water and a Q-tip and caused significant damage, so I am letting the pros handle this.
Let us know how it goes, good luck
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Finally heard back, looks like I’ll be trying my hand at removal.
“ 10/27/2026 Test Results:
We do not recommend treatment at this time; based on our exam and testing we
believe treatment to remove the cards will result in irreversible damage to the ink
layer on the back of the cards.
The adhesive used and the original card's wood pulp backing have fused, making
removal impossible without ink loss. This is a very rare case and very unusual.”
That's a real bummer. Is there some other place you can try for a second opinion before doing it yourself?
If it were me I'd try every option out there before I made a mess of everything.
I’m not sure really who else would be able to do it. I don’t expect to get them off the board without some damage to the backs. I’ll think about it.
If they were mine, I'd probably just have them remove them anyway and hope for the best. They're probably correct about removal being impossible without ink loss
A's World Championships-1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989
Have you tried a long water soak with distilled water? With one of the one first obviously and see how that goes
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
I didn’t buy that will be my next step if they don’t agree to remove them. I’ve just been stressed because I don’t want to ruin these.
Yea you would not want that.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
I wouldn't use a blow dryer; I'd try a heat gun.
If possible, I'd also try to find some additional, less expensive ones to test on if you're going to try it yourself.