One of only three known examples of a Ty Cobb postcard is on the auction block.
Issued by E&S Publishing Company of Chicago in 1914, the card of Cobb is one of his rarest issues. It’s being offered by Heritage Auctions with bidding expected to reach at least $25,000 when bidding ends next month.
The card measures 3-1/2” x 5 3/8.” It’s part of a set featuring various stars of the day including Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Joe Jackson and Frank Chance. Only a dozen different players have been discovered to date and the cards are not numbered.
The cards feature artistic imaging of each player with text accompanying the cartoons surrounding them. They’re printed in blue ink over a cream colored card stock. The backs are meant to contain a handwritten message and address, as usual.
Only 41 cards from the set have been graded by either PSA or SGC and most are lower grade, with none of those examined by PSA rating above a 6. The Cobb being offered by Heritage has corner damage and surface wear to account for its PSA 1 (Poor) grade.
Cobb was in the midst of a remarkable stretch when the card was issued. From 1909-1919, he never hit lower than .368, winning the American League Triple Crown in 1909. He was in the second year of a new contract worth $12,000 (equal to about $370,000 today), becoming the first player in history to be paid a five-figure salary.
Cobb had feuded with team management over his contract status, threatening to quit the game at one point. However, he’d continue to put on a big league uniform for 15 more seasons.
While the postcards were being distributed in 1914, he got into an argument with a butcher in Detroit and pulled a gun. He was fined $50 (over $1,500 today).
Bidding in the Heritage Fall Sports Catalog Auction is scheduled to close over three nights, Oct. 4-6.
