Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXVIII
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
The achievements of the immortal Ty Cobb easily place him as one of the finest players in our National Pastime’s glorious history, justified by his eternal place as one of baseball’s five 1936 Hall of Fame charter members. Most elite vintage collectors painstakingly seek his most eclectic artifacts, especially his early cardboard relics issued during his first few years in the Major Leagues. Synonymous with virtually every standout ball player, the most sought after card is typically associated with their inaugural Major League season and labeled that players “rookie card”. Unfortunately in Cobb’s case, this is where it gets slightly sketchy since his first appearance on a professional baseball related card was not realized until 1907 and in that calendar year, a significant number of issues were distributed with his hallowed image. Cobb broke into the Major Leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1905, playing in a mere 41 games while hitting a paltry .240. Quickly, Cobb bounced back in 1906 to bat an impressive .316, the first of an unfathomable 23 consecutive years of exceeding the exalted .300 benchmark. Throughout his incomparable 24 seasons, he led the American League a record 12 years in batting average including an incredible 9 consecutive years from 1907 thru 1915! He also happened to exceed the exalted .400 mark three times, with all of the above totaling to an unimaginable .367 lifetime average. After his sterling 1906 season, he stroked 212 hits in 1907, his first full season in which he batted .350. Due to his newly found star status, manufacturers began utilizing his image on various cardboard related products throughout the 1907 season, mainly postcards and the seldom surfacing and ultra valuable W600 Sporting Life Cabinet. Some of the postcard issues include the A.C. Dietsche, Wolverine News, H.M. Taylor, and Novelty Cutlery with all of these issues staking claim (along with the W600 Sporting Life Cabinet) as Cobb’s rookie card.
So which of the above is actually Cobb’s true rookie card? Bottom line is no definitive answer exists since they were all produced during the 1907 season and equally share the prestige as being Cobb’s inaugural card. Elite collectors will endlessly argue the point of the timing of each card’s initial release date, but even this angle remains somewhat vague. Therefore, it is the opinion of many advanced collectors that all of the aforementioned cards can stake a viable claim to being the first Ty Cobb Major League issue. One of those postcards, the Dietsche issue, was distributed for 3 years between 1907 and 1909 by the A.C. Dietsche company of Detroit, Michigan. The 1907 series included 16 Detroit players, the 1908 issues included 22 Detroit players and the 1909 issues included only 4 Tiger subjects. One of the minor changes depicted on the 1908 issue (vs. the initial 1907 postcard) was the inclusion of the players name in capitalized white text near the lower region of the postcard. Sharp black & white player poses were set against a background that was predominately black. Obviously, it is the 1907 Ty Cobb rookie issue that is highly sought after by vintage enthusiasts, and fortunately for rookie card collectors, the reverse side “Copyright” definitely states along the left edge which year the card was distributed.
For Ty Cobb purists, we have decided to offer BOTH the 1907 rookie card and subsequent 1908 version as a single lot with both cards grading high end PSA 3’s. To reiterate, distinguishing between the two is a simple task since the 1907 rookie card does NOT carry Cobb’s name in white text on the obverse side, with both cards including the exact copyright year on the verso near the upper left border. Both cards portray superb aesthetics for VG examples with unobtrusive corner wear and no major creases. Cobb’s hallowed batting image literally “jumps” off each example due to the near perfect photo contrast and registration. The 1907 rookie card does reflect some modest soiling and/or foxing on the reverse side as well as along the obverse lower edge, while the 1908 version’s upper right corner includes a diminutive diagonal crease. Otherwise, both offerings provide splendid mid-grade aesthetics that surpass their technical assessment. One other significant note relates to the brief Cobb biography included on both postcard backs. The 1907 version reads “Tyrus R. Cobb, right fielder of the Detroit Base Ball Club, has played but a few seasons in major league ball and is recognized all over the country as one of the most sensational players the game has ever had. He is noted for his tremendous speed; his brilliant sliding ability; his batting, throwing and fielding. He is almost sure of leading the American league in batting for the season of 1907”. While the A.C. Dietsche company was surely accurate with their final statement, what they or nobody could possibly realize at the time was that Cobb would go on to lead the league in batting not only in 1907 but, as previously mentioned, for 9 consecutive seasons. Interestingly enough, the 1908 postcard includes virtually the exact biography except one minor revision; they omit the FINAL sentence, failing to suggest that Cobb will lead the league again in 1908, which as we all know would have been an accurate prediction straight through the 1915 season! In closing, this is a grand opportunity to seize not only one of Cobb’s 1907 rookie cards, but the slightly different 2nd year 1908 Dietsche issue, staking a claim to two of his earliest cardboard mementos. Unquestionably, these are two of the Georgia Peach’s most popular collectibles and worthy of secure place in any esteemed collection.
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