One of a small number of surviving century-old Ty Cobb Tobacco tins headlines Wheatland Auction Services’ August sale which launched Thursday. The 4-1/2″-tall tin, which features an image of the Hall of Fame slugger on the front, is recognized is considered one of the most desirable tobacco artifacts, baseball or otherwise. It’s often referred to as the “King of Tobacco Tins.”
The tin is valued well into the thousands even with the typical effects of time. It’s believed the tin once held the exceptionally scarce baseball card of Cobb that features an ad for ‘Cobb Tobacco’ on the reverse and was not widely distributed. Fewer than 25 are known to exist today.
The tin will be on display with several other auction items inside the Wheatland Auctions booth (#433/435P) at this year’ s National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, July 29-August 2.
The auction, which runs through August 23, features hundreds of lots with memorabilia and sports cards from virtually every era. Other highlights include more than 100 graded T206 cards including several Hall of Famers, over 60 graded 1949 Bowman cards, multiple bulk lots and partial sets from the 1940s-70s, a 1955 Sandy Koufax rookie card graded BVG 7.5, an autographed 1981 Rochester Red Wings Cal Ripken Jr. minor league card, a BVG 6.5 Michael Jordan rookie and numerous unopened vintage and modern era sealed wax boxes including some rare basketball products. There are also non-sports cards in the auction.
Autographed items in the auction include pieces from Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams, a Willie Mays jersey, John Elway football, Steve Young full-size helmet, Wayne Gretzky signed statue and more.
To register for the auction and bid online, visit WheatlandAuctionServices.com.
The company will be accepting consignments for its next auction during the National and will also be giving away a PSA/DNA authenticated Muhammad Ali boxing glove. Show attendees can register at the Wheatland booth with the winner to be drawn on August 9.