Among the scarcest of all the catalogued tobacco issues, T217 cards were limited to distribution only on the West Coast. There are 23 baseball players (all from the Pacific Coast League), and the rest of the set was made up of Leading Actresses. Though most hobby-related checklists show only the baseball subjects, their scarcity makes getting even a type card example a challenge.
The fronts feature black and white portraits surrounded by a thick black line and a white border. The player's name and team city appear in the white border beneath the photo. On the back is an advertisement for Mono Turkish blend cigarettes, along with a notation that the card is part of a set of 200 cards. At the bottom is a note that 5 cents buys 10 cigarettes.
Two players (Delhi and Smith) can be found with two different poses, which make 25 different cards in all. Some of the players would go on to play in the majors, while one - Roger Peckinpaugh - would go on to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Key T217 Mono Baseball Cards:
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 1911 T217 "Mono" PCL Issue BB Card - Geo. Wheeler, LA $495.00 |
 1911 T217 "Mono" PCL Issue BB Card - Aiken, LA $495.00 |
T217 Mono Baseball Card Checklist
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