The 1912 Hassan Triple Folders T202 series is one of the most attractive baseball card sets of the early 20th century. Produced by the American Tobacco Company, it consists of 132 unique cards each measuring approximately 2-1/4” by 5-1/4”. Originally distributed in packages of Hassan Cork Tip Cigarettes, each card has two full-color portraits of different Dead Ball era baseball players (similar looking to the T205 design) flanking a black-and-white center panel that bears either an action photo or portrait. Two non-perforated folds separate the three images, allowing the cards to be folded over and tucked into the cigarette packs. 76 different center panels are known to exist, with numerous combinations of end cards. 56 cards represent at least one Hall of Famer and several combine two or even three Cooperstown inductees. There are black and red back variations. Prominent players include Christy Mathewson (appearing on eight different cards, all end panels), Ty Cobb (featured on six combos including end and center panels), Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, “Home Run” Baker, Eddie Collins, and the famous Cubs infield of Tinker, Evers and Chance.
A complete T202 set in VG condition built organically from one collector is nearly impossible to find. Presented here is about as close as you’re going to get: a hobby-fresh near set with 103 (all unique) of the 132 possible combinations. Hall of Famers are represented on a total of 55 different cards. They include: four Ty Cobb (2 end panels, 1 end/center combo & 1 center panel); four Christy Mathewson (all ends); seven Frank Chance (2 ends, 2 combos & 3 centers); five Johnnie Evers (2 combos & 3 centers); two Joe Tinker (ends); four Frank “Home Run” Baker (3 ends & 1 combo); four Eddie Collins (1 ends, 2 combos & 1 center); two Tris Speaker (ends); two Nap Lajoie ("A Grear Batsman" centers); Walter Johnson (end); three Fred Clarke (all ends); two Roger Bresnahan (ends); two Bobby Wallace (ends); two Rube Marquard (ends); seven John McGraw (1 combo and 6 "Just Before the Battle" centers); Miller Huggins (end); Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown (end); Ed Walsh (end); and Chief Bender (combo).
We recently submitted 31 cards to SGC for grading, most falling within the PR 1 to VG/EX 4 range with a couple outliers. (Please note that grading has always been notoriously strict on T202s due to "spider creases" that form naturally along the perforated folds of the side panels.) T202s are unnumbered, although the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards checklist has catalogued the various combinations in a certain order. The graded results are:
#3 Cobb/O’Leary “Desperate Slide for Third” – AUTHENTIC (Color Added)
#8 Collins/Baker “Baker Gets His Man” – FR 1.5
#9 W. Johnson/Street “Birmingham Gets to Third” – PR 1
#10 Birmingham/Turner “Birmingham’s HR” – VG/EX 4
#12 Gaspar/McLean “Carrigan Blocks His Man” (Red Back) – VG/EX+ 4.5
#16 Foxen/Chance “Chance Beats Out a Hit” – VG/EX 4
#20 Shean/Chance “Chance Beats Out a Hit” – EX 5
#21 Wolter/Chase “Chase Dives into Third” (Red Back) – VG/EX 4
#31 Bender/Thomas “Chief Bender Waiting” (Red Back) – GD 2
#33 Walsh/Payne “Close at the Plate” – GD+ 2.5
#35 White/Payne “Close at the Plate” – VG 3
#36 Wood/Speaker “Close at Third” (Red Back) – VG/EX 4
#44 Mathewson/Devlin “Devlin Gets His Man” (Red Back)– PR 1
#46 Fletcher/Mathewson “Devlin Gets His Man” – FR 1.5
#47 Meyers/Mathewson “Devlin Gets His Man” (Red Back) – PR 1
#51 Magee/Dooin “Donlin Out at First” – VG/EX 4
#59 Speaker/Engle “Engle in a Close Play” – FR 1.5
#60 Evers/Archer “Evers Makes a Safe Slide” (Red Back) – VG/EX+ 4.5
#61 Evers/Chance “Evers Makes a Safe Slide” (Red Back) – PR 1
#62 Overall/Archer “Evers Makes a Safe Slide” – VG/EX 4
#64 Tinker/Chance “Evers Makes a Safe Slide” (Red Back) – PR 1
#65 O’Leary/Cobb “Fast Work at Third” (Red Back) – PR 1
#68 Moriarty/Cobb “Good Play at Third” – PR 1
#72 Lennox/Tinker “Harry Lord at Third – VG/EX 4
#76 Stahl/Cicotte “Jake Stahl Guarding First – VG/EX 4
#79 Bresnahan/McGraw “Just Before the Battle” (Red Back) – PR 1
#82 Mathewson/Fletcher “Just Before the Battle” (Red Back) – GD 2
#110 Evans/Huggins “Sullivan Puts Up a High One” – VG/EX 4
#115 Barry/Baker “Athletic Infield” (Red Back) – AUTH. (Trimmed)
#116 M. Brown/Graham “Athletic Infield” – PR 1
#127 Marquard/Meyers “Too Late for Devlin” – VG/EX 4