1909-11 T206 Mike Mowrey
1909–11 T206 Mike Mowrey
Cincinnati Reds · National League · 350 Only print series · also a T213-1 Coupon back
The 1909–1911 T206 Mike Mowrey is part of the legendary “White Border” tobacco set — The Monster. This card depicts Mike Mowrey, a member of the historic Cincinnati Reds (National League), and was printed in the 350 Only series, known with 4 tobacco-brand backs. Across PSA and SGC, roughly 827 examples have been graded, with only 24 in NM 7 or better — a reminder of how tough this issue is in high grade.
About Mike Mowrey
Born Harry Harlan Mowrey near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1884, Mowrey worked his way up through independent and minor-league clubs before Savannah of the South Atlantic League landed him in 1905, when Cincinnati purchased his contract. A slick-fielding third baseman, he played 13 major-league seasons (1905-1917) for the Reds (1905-09), St. Louis Cardinals (1910-13), Pittsburgh Pirates (1914), the Federal League's Pittsburgh Rebels (1915), and the Brooklyn Robins (1916-17). A right-handed hitter, he batted .256 for his career with roughly 1,099 hits, 7 home runs and 167 stolen bases; his best year came in 1910, when he hit .282 with 70 RBIs and 21 steals. Renowned for an unorthodox style—knocking hard grounders down, then picking them up to throw—he was called "the best fielder of bunts in either league" by Alfred H. Spink in 1910 and posted a career-high .965 fielding mark in 1916, when Brooklyn won the National League pennant (he hit .176 in the losing World Series). Nicknamed "Mike the Hobo," a name a brother coined after young Harry befriended a vagrant housed by their sheriff father, he later managed in the minors. He is not a Hall of Famer but is a solid Deadball-era subject in the T206 set.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Confirmed backs (4)
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 | 518 | 20 | 25 | 71 | 143 | 91 | 92 | 76 |
| SGC | 309 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 65 | 67 | 55 | 80 |
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 | 308 |
| Sweet Caporal 1910 | 63 |
| Sweet Caporal | 49 |
| Sovereign 1910 | 17 |
| Tolstoi | 5 |
| Unknown back | 76 |
SGC by back
| Back | Graded |
|---|---|
| Piedmont 1910 | 222 |
| Sovereign 1910 | 14 |
| Sweet Caporal 1910 | 68 |
| Tolstoi 1909-11 | 5 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1909-11 T206 Mike Mowrey card?
The Mike Mowrey 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 Cincinnati Reds player and was inserted in cigarette packs across 4 different tobacco-brand backs.
How rare is this T206 card?
Across PSA and SGC, roughly 827 examples of the Mike Mowrey have been graded, with only 24 grading NM 7 or higher, so mid-grade copies are obtainable while high-grade examples are genuinely scarce.
Which backs does the T206 Mike Mowrey come with?
The Mike Mowrey is confirmed with 4 tobacco-brand backs: Piedmont, Sovereign, Sweet Caporal, Tolstoi. The back brand is a major driver of both scarcity and value.
Is the T206 Mike Mowrey 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 Cincinnati Reds 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.