My vintage card of the week. T206 Piedmont Christy Mathewson Dark Cap. This was my first T206 card. When I was collecting as a kid in the junk wax era, the old tobacco cards seemed absolutely ancient. As I’ve aged, they seem a bit less ancient to me, but also more important to the history of the hobby and the game. When I decided I wanted to go after a T206, this card was my first choice. I think it’s just a gorgeous card, and I prefer its appearance to the white cap version and the portrait. And I’m into collecting pitchers because that’s what I did back in my day. My favorite pitcher of all time is Greg Maddux, and everything I’ve read about Matty suggests he was the Professor of his era—focusing on location and movement to disrupt a hitter’s timing rather than overwhelming a hitter with velocity like a Randy or Walter Johnson. Matty even wrote an article called “Outguessing the Batter” for Pearson’s Magazine back in the day. Look it up; it’s a good read.
