1911 T205 Charles O'Leary

I'm a huge fan of the white-bordered T206 baseball card.

But I think I may be a bigger fan of the gold-bordered T205. Bold colors, player bios, stats, facsimile signatures and team nicknames add to the sets appeal. Some even classify these cards into three subsets: American Leaguers, National Leaguers and minor leaguers.

AL cards have this diamond design. NL cards have more of an airbrushed portrait look and minor leaguers have an ornate frame.

So far, I have three American Leaguers.

A few days ago I bid on a different T205 card. I had never heard of the player and the card was an absolute beater. It looked like it had been run over by a truck. My kind of card. As a veteran of eBay, I figured my bid would hold up.

Not even close. I was outbid that same day. With days remaining in the auction. I couldn't believe it! I didn't understand.

But then I figured it out: The card was of a minor leaguer. There are only a dozen players in this subset and they demand a premium.

And here I thought I was the only one out there looking for poor old baseball cards.