The T206 Ty Cobb baseball card depicts the Detroit Tigers' Ty Cobb, one of the inaugural inductees in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series.[1] The card with the Ty Cobb Smoking Tobacco World back is rarer than the famous T206 Honus Wagner which had a limited production.[2]
 T206 Ty Cobb card | |
| Type | Baseball card |
|---|---|
| Company | American Tobacco |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1909–1911 |
| Features | Ty Cobb |
Description
editThe card's obverse features a portrait of Cobb surrounded by a white border. The more common version has the portrait on a red background[3] although there is a more rare green background version.[4] Different versions of the card have advertisements for different tobacco brands.[5] The reverse of cards which advertise Cobb's own brand has green print lettering which reads: ""TY COBB — KING OF THE SMOKING TOBACCO WORLD."[6]
Notable examples
editLucky 7
editIn 2016, a cache of 7 T206 Ty Cobb baseball cards were discovered in a paper bag when a family was cleaning out their deceased great-grandfather's home.[7] These cards were nicknamed the "Lucky 7"[2] and brought the total number of known T206 Ty Cobb's in existence to 22.[6] The cards were authenticated and initially valued at around $1 million.[8] They later sold for $3 million in 2016.[3]
Weisenberg cards
editIn August 2022, Jeff Weisenberg purchased a collection of 1,000 T206 cards which included 16 Ty Cobbs. Among these were the only known examples of Cobbs with an ad for Carolina Brights cigarettes on the back.[9]
References
edit- ^ "CSG Graded 1952 Topps Mantle Brings $1.25 Million as SCP Wraps Fall Premier". Sports Collectors Daily. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Merritt (March 3, 2016). "A Collector's Dream: 7 Rare Ty Cobb Baseball Cards Discovered". NPR.
- ^ a b "All 7 Cards from T206 Cobb Find Now Sold for Combined $3 Million". Sports Collectors Daily. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ "Huge Tobacco Card Finds Include Rare T206 Backs, 16 Cobbs, Old Judge Cards". Sports Collectors Daily. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ "Picker's Rare Find: T206 Broad Leaf Ty Cobb to Enter Market". Sports Collectors Daily. 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ a b "Rare Cobb cards found in bag". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ D’Angelo, Bob; Desk, Cox Media Group National Content. "Family that found 7 rare Ty Cobb baseball cards find another one". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
{{cite news}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ Victor, Daniel (2016-03-07). "Ty Cobb Baseball Card Trove Reignites Dreams of Shoebox Jackpots". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
- ^ "Huge Tobacco Card Finds Include Rare T206 Backs, 16 Cobbs, Old Judge Cards". Sports Collectors Daily. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
External links
edit- The T206 Collection – The Player & Their Stories – biographies of every player in the T206 set as well, written by Tom and Ellen Zappala, Lou Blasi and Pro Sports Authenticators' Joe Orlando
Media related to T206 Ty Cobb at Wikimedia Commons
