1909-11 T206 Bill Hart
1909–11 T206 Bill Hart
Little Rock Travelers · Southern Association · Southern Leaguer print series · also a T213-1 Coupon back
The 1909–1911 T206 Bill Hart is part of the legendary “White Border” tobacco set — The Monster. This card depicts Bill Hart, a member of the historic Little Rock Travelers (Southern Association), and was printed in the Southern Leaguer series, known with 2 tobacco-brand backs. Across PSA and SGC, roughly 543 examples have been graded, with only 11 in NM 7 or better — a reminder of how tough this issue is in high grade.
About Bill Hart
Bill Hart — William Franklin Hart, a right-handed pitcher born July 19, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky — was already a grizzled professional by the time this card appeared. He first turned heads in the 1880s, pitching in the majors as early as 1886 for the American Association's Philadelphia Athletics, and his image survives from that era in the 19th-century Old Judge (N172) tobacco set as a Des Moines Prohibitionist. Across parts of eight big-league seasons spanning 1886 to 1901, Hart toiled for the Athletics (1886–87), Brooklyn Grooms (1892), St. Louis Browns (1896–97), Pittsburgh Pirates (1895, 1898), and Cleveland Blues (1901), becoming one of the rare arms to work in all three of the era's major leagues — the American Association, National League, and American League. Pitching mostly for weak clubs, he never posted a winning season and finished 66–120 with a 4.65 ERA and 431 strikeouts. By the T206 years he had drifted to the minors and Little Rock of the Southern Association, appearing in the set's 48-card Southern Leaguer subset — printed only with Piedmont and Old Mill backs (as on this card) and among the tougher, scarcer cards for collectors. Hart died September 19, 1936, in Cincinnati.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Confirmed backs (2)
Chip colour marks each back's rarity tier. See the full T206 back rarity ranking →
Population (PSA · SGC)
| Grader | Total | NM 7+ | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 & Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 312 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 64 | 61 | 57 | 64 |
| SGC | 231 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 24 | 55 | 44 | 81 |
NM 7+ bundles grades 7–10; 1 & Auth bundles grade 1, 1.5 & Authentic. Totals are subject-level (summed across all backs). Population as of 2026-06.
PSA by back
| Back | Graded |
|---|---|
| Piedmont 1910 | 155 |
| Old Mill | 98 |
| Unknown back | 59 |
SGC by back
| Back | Graded |
|---|---|
| Old Mill 1909-11 | 103 |
| Piedmont 1910 | 128 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1909-11 T206 Bill Hart card?
The Bill Hart is one of 524 subjects in the T206 "White Border" tobacco set issued 1909-1911, the hobby's most iconic vintage set (nicknamed "The Monster"). It pictures the Little Rock Travelers player and was inserted in cigarette packs across 2 different tobacco-brand backs.
How rare is this T206 card?
Across PSA and SGC, roughly 543 examples of the Bill Hart have been graded, with only 11 grading NM 7 or higher, so mid-grade copies are obtainable while high-grade examples are genuinely scarce.
Which backs does the T206 Bill Hart come with?
The Bill Hart is confirmed with 2 tobacco-brand backs: Old Mill, Piedmont. The back brand is a major driver of both scarcity and value.
Is the T206 Bill Hart valuable?
Value depends heavily on the back brand and the card's grade: common backs in low grade trade modestly, while scarce backs and high grades command strong premiums. Check the current T206 Cards listings and eBay options above for live pricing.
More Little Rock Travelers cards
Sources: t206resource.com, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and Inside T206 by Scot Reader. Card data & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-01.